Where Heroes Once Stood
by lockedinperpetualmotion
Summary: In the midst of a emotional war, and a very real war between two factions, a young warrior must decided whether to put a stop to a looming threat. Garrosh Hellscream is rumoured to be causing a bit of mayhem underneath Orgrimmar... (Currently undergoing a COMPLETE rewrite.)
1. Prologue

"_Mother?" A soft, scared voice called quietly into the darkness._

_"I'm over here, but don't move a muscle. We mustn't be speaking, or else it may find us."_

_The ruffle of leaves that seemed to boom in the silent area moved towards the small whimpering. "Shh, it's okay. I will protect you with my life, Fayne, alright?" The child nodded. Reassuring arms were placed around her small body, and she cuddled into the warm embrace._

_From a short distance, dark laughing could be heard. Fayne squeaked, and her mother quickly placed her hand over her daughter's mouth. The sniffing abruptly stopped, and a low growl was sent to their direction._

_"Fayne! Get behind me!" The child was wrenched to her feet, and shoved behind her mother. "If... if I don't make it, make sure I fall on you. Do not move, and don't even breathe until he leaves. Got it?" Fayne started choking, but nodded. She clenched her mother's silken robe, and sobbed quietly as her mother began attacking the creature with orbs of fire._

_It was an Orc, and her mother's fireball knocked it down for a split second. This just seemed to enrage it more, as it charged at her mother and started slashing her body with its huge axe. Her mother started screaming out in pain, and Fayne did the last thing she could think of; she lifted up her mother's robe and hid under it. She was too scared to scream, to cry, to say goodbye to her mother. She shut her eyes, and after a few minutes of agonizing screaming._

_Fayne felt her mother's legs begin to give out. They started pushing on her._

_At the last second, her mother turned around, so she was facing her daughter. "Fayne... Make me proud."_

_Her mother fell. The air was knocked out of her, but Fayne remembered what her mother told her. The sniffing resumed, and she felt hot air being blown all over her and her mother. She almost whimpered, but she didn't dare. The Orc must not have scented her through the stench of blood, as it promptly left._

_An hour passed, and Fayne knew it was okay to cry now. And she did; she hid underneath her mother's dead body, tears streaming down her face. She was too tired to cry fully. Only a few sniffles passed, and a water-work of tears, but not a single noise escaped her mouth. She closed her eyes, and embraced whatever was left of her mother._

_Fayne pressed her face against her mother's torn up stomach, the blood invading her nostrils and mouth. She didn't care. She finally started bawling; she didn't care if any Orcs heard her. She would rather them take her too, instead of leaving her parentless and alone in such a big world._

_When Fayne finally opened her eyes, morning light streamed in through a few gaps in her mother's robe. Footsteps were approaching, and she instantly fell limp. "2097. Man, look how torn up this woman is. She must of put up a hell of a fight." When Fayne recognized her own language, she realized it would be alright._

_"Help!"_

_"Wait... goodness, there is a child under the body!" A woman's voice yelled. Fayne felt the weight come off of her, and the sun blinded her eyes._

"_Child, are you alright?" Said the woman. She had a pretty face, and long, blonde hair that curled around her face. Her eyes searched Fayne's, looking for an answer. "No... my m-mother. She's dead."_

_Tears streamed down her face, and the woman grabbed her, bringing her into an embrace. "Is that the body of your mother? The one you where hiding under?" Fayne unburied her face from the woman's hair, and looked up at the man. "Y-yes."_

"_Do you have a father? Grandparent maybe?" The woman asked. "Even an older sibling?" Fayne shook her head. "I-I had an older brother, but he died. I never knew my father, and my grandparents have been dead for years." The woman was silent. She looked up at the man, and quietly said, "I have to take her in."_

_The woman looked back to Fayne. She smiled a tiny bit, and said, "Would you like to stay with me? There's not really anyone left who can take care of you, and I would hate having to send you to an orphanage. That is, if you want to live with me. It's up to you, of course."_

_Fayne looked back at the woman, and nodded. "My name is Brytne Shadowbane," she said. "And you are?"_

"_Faynestra Brightrin."_

* * *

**Now, I notice this is really... really bad. It should be rewritten whenever I have time to do so. I know it's unbearable to read, but it's just the essentials as to what exactly caused Fayne's anger. Please do carry on, the chapter get progressively more interesting.**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft or any of the character other than Fayne and a few others. Everything else belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. :

* * *

Varian Wrynn wasn't much of a talker. He listened to his people complain, nodded, and asked for the next person in line. He knew most of the people in Stormwind were not wealthy, but he never imagined there would be so much complaining. He shifted his weight, and moved his elbow to his throne's armrest. He laid his head on his hand, annoyed.

"Y'see, there are these pesky kids runnin' 'round my market e'ryday, and they keep knockin' my fish barrel on the 'round!"

Varian blinked, and brought his stare up to the old man. He was wearing a linen apron soaked in what he expected to be fish oil, and had hair everywhere around his body, except for the top of his head.

"Move your stand out of the centre of the street, and maybe people will stop bumping into it. Next," he said, waving the stinking man away. The strong smell of fish managed to cut the line a bit, and only a few of his people remained.

"My lord, the orphanage is running out of room! There are so many kids without a guardian, and space is limited... we managed to stick beds into any place we could, but it's still not enough. I was wondering, because the building next to us is empty... if maybe we could knock down the wall and expand the orphanage?"

Wrynn met eyes with the Matron. She was still young, good looking, and had a kind soul. She shifted nervously under his glare, unable to read his expression. "Very well. Take a trip down and visit our gnome friends in the Dwarven District. They will probably not accept, but if they do, send them to me. That should scare them into doing the job." Matron Nightingale curtsied. "Thank you, my lord!"

After what seemed like an eternity, his throne room was now empty, other than his royal guards and advisers. He chatted with them, signed important documents, and signed the slip the dwarves had given to the Matron in order to expand the orphanage. As he was reading a few scrolls, a short man with a beard and tubby sides ran in, panting. Sweat was dripping off of his face, right onto the marble floors. Wrynn looked down at the small puddle forming under the man, and felt a tinge of disgust.

"My king, there seems to be a disturbance down in the Trade District. I don't have all the details, since I ran over as soon as I could, but a protest has broken out."

Wrynn rolled his eyes. "Send in guards."

The tubby man tried to catch his breath. "My lord, there was already a small army of guards over there when I arrived at the scene! It's going to take more than that!" Wrynn turned his head every so slightly to one of his advisers. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Sir, I can hastily make way down to the Trade District if you wish. I should probably bring more manpower with me if I do."

Varian nodded. "Very well. Take one of the fastest chargers. There should be more guards situated down there already, I don't see why-"

A deafening explosion from the top of the Keep cut him off. Wrynn jumped up, and looked to the ceiling. The ordinate chandelier was swinging back and forth, and finally fell to the tiles below. Everyone in the room looked at the shattered glass.

"What the hell was that!" Wrynn yelled, looking back up to the ceiling. A quiet buzzing crept into the room.

Wrynn squinted, and saw that someone, or something, was drilling a hole in his ceiling.

"Shit!"

He motioned for his men to investigate. He made sure half of his royal guard took care of his son. A few more remained behind, in case they managed to drill through before anyone got onto the roof. Wrynn ran to his right, into the little garden situated in the open room. He grabbed the reigns of a gryphon, and jumped on as soon as it took off. He was raging on the inside, and his reddened face was a clear sign that he was pissed.

As the gryphon climbed further up the side of the Keep, Wrynn saw his guards were already up there.

"Horde! It's the Horde!" Wrynn cursed, and yanked the reigns harder. The gryphon increased its pace, and soon enough they were above the mass of bodies on his Keep's roof. The guard was right; it was the Horde. A few of his men were already dismounted, swinging swords at orcs and tauren that were clad in some of the rarest armour since the Cataclysm.

"Move in!"

Wrynn gave the signal. His guards flew down, and jumped off their mounts before they even touched land. Deep inside his body, he felt the familiar tug, which taunted him to fight. He thought about it, and wondered if it was a good idea. More guards were arriving, and he decided there was no real threat.

He let out a great roar, which spooked his gryphon. He was already charging at a troll shaman before the gryphon could attempt to flip him off its back. He crashed into the troll, sending it a few meters forward before stabbing his blade deep inside its body. He yanked at the sword until it came out of the slumped corpse. Fresh blood dripped from the blade. He inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes when the familiar metallic stench hit his nose.

Wrynn and his men battled long and hard, and finally there were only corpses left scattered around the roof.

"Not bad," Wrynn said, as he only noticed about three of his men slain. He didn't feel pity; they had signed up for their job knowing that any day could be their last. He stretched his shoulders, and jumped off the roof onto the ledge of the garden room. He casually walked back, and was greeted by his adviser.

"Anduin is fine. A rogue managed to break in, but by the Light, that boy can heal!"

Wrynn snorted slightly, half amused and half agitated. He raised his son to fight as a warrior, but instead he turned to healing. He argued for a good year before he finally gave up and let his son do whatever he wanted to do. He could have been a pickpocket for all he cared now.

"Anything else?" Wrynn acquired as he sat down onto his throne. His plate armour made a loud thud.

"We found the source of the little protest. A few Horde priests had mind controlled civilians to protest in order to cause a distraction. They were quite clever, if I do say so myself." Wrynn hummed, as he drew his lips into a tight line.

"We lost a few of our men also, and there is a large number currently being treated. Some might not survive the night." Wrynn nodded dully. He would just have to recruit more soldiers. Problem solved.

"Of course, as you may have noticed, the blood on the roof, well, it just isn't very inviting. The night elves of Teldressil would certainly not like to think of even living somewhere were raids have even been attempted. I could send a few mages up in order to clean it up with water." The adviser was looking at a small scroll, which seemed to be a list of everything that happened in the past few hours. He rolled it up contently, and looked at Varian for the first time.

"Sire, I suggest you go visit a healer. You have quite a nasty gash on your forehead."

Wrynn put his plated hand to his forehead, and inspected it. Sure enough, it was covered in blood and his head started to sting a bit. He didn't even notice it.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Get the mages, and make sure to start picking up the bodies. Feel free to take any of their weapons, armour and possessions, and throw the bodies in the incinerator. I'm sure Hellscream won't be sending another group to pick up the bodies anyways."

* * *

Wrynn dismissed everyone from his throne room. He needed some relaxing time. He didn't even notice the soft thudding of plate boots echoing down the hall towards him. They were quite light, too light for any of his soldiers.

It was most likely a night elf woman coming to complain about the bodies all over the city. Maybe it was the same one who found a dead orc in her bed from one of the last raids attempted on his city. Perhaps there was a naked Tauren propped up provocatively on her divan this time.

He didn't even bother opening his eyes. The footsteps stopped, and he sensed she was a few meters away from him. He waited until she spoke. There was a long silence, and finally he opened his eyes.

In front of him was a blood elf woman; a warrior, at the looks of it. She was leaning all her weight on her left leg, the other slightly bent. Her curvy hip was jutting out because of her posture, and her arms were crossed across her chest. He weapon sling from her hip, along with her shield that hung on her back.

He looked at her face; she was merely wearing a simple plate face guard instead of a helmet. It wasn't even a face guard, really. It framed her face jaw only. Her blonde hair was let down in messy curls, and there was splashes of blood mixed in with it. It was defiantly not hers.

He clamped his jaw tightly, and stared into her eyes. She was beautiful, and deadly. Her magnificent green eyes had a slight twinkle in it. She was amused. She gave a large smirk, and stared back. Wrynn finally spoke. "Do you speak Common, Horde scum?"

The blood elf laughed. It was almost dark; it told a book length about her life. Betrayal, hurt, love, and death.

"Horde scum?" she replied, an accent edged into it. Her voice was shockingly intriguing.

"I prefer not to be addressed as a member of the Horde. What have they ever done for me?"

Wrynn thought he was about to bore a hole into her skull, but she seemed to be absolutely unfazed by him.

"What are your intentions," he asked. He knew she was probably plotting to kill him. She was quite the actress, he must say.

"I'm here to make an offering."

The blood elf replied. Wrynn let out a small laugh.

"I don't negotiate with the enemy, girl." The elf smirked again.

"Ahh, but I'm not the enemy. You see, I want exactly what you do. I want Hellscream dead."

Wrynn blinked. Was she serious? The woman now had an almost deathly glare to her.

"And I'm here in hopes that you will help me kill him. At _any_ cost."


	3. Chapter 2

By the way the King of Stormwind, in the flesh, was looking at her, Fayne could tell he either thought she was stupid, crazy or attempting to assassinate him. She snorted, imaging herself going one on one with the King, and then getting gunned down by his royal guards. _Yep_, she thought. _He thinks I'm insane_. Varian had raised an eyebrow, questioning her. She sighed.

"Look, I have this entire thing planned out to the point it's infallible. I know my way around Orgrimmar, and the secrets that just so happen to lay beneath it. Either you accept my offer, or I leave with it." Fayne crossed her arms across her chest, waiting for an answer. She watched him consider the idea, glaring at him while he tapped his jaw with a few fingers.

_He's toying with me_, Fayne realized bitterly as she looked up at the ceiling. She smiled to herself before scoffing. She turned around, adjusting her shield onto her left arm as she began walking away towards the Keep's entrance. It was still abandoned on the inside, but was probably crawling with Alliance outside. She unsheathed her sword, tapping it on her leg as she walked. Finally, she reached the two wooden doors at the front.

Fayne opened one ever so slightly to get a peek at what she would have to deal with outside. Only a few guards stood outside. _Perfect_, she thought as she pushed the doors open.

"Good day to you," she said casually. The guards looked at her briefly, before continuing on with their conversation. She was already sprinting away when they finally realized what was wrong and gave chase. Fayne quickly started scaling up the side of the Keep, sticking her sword into the wall and shaking it back out as she made her way up to the top. The guards below began shooting at her.

"You know, it's really hard to climb when you keep firing at me!" Fayne yelled down, a devilish grin on her face as she finally reached the top. She gave the guards one final show of her tongue before crawling onto the shingles. To her dismay, a group of mages were above, cleaning the blood off of the roof. "You've got to be kidding me," she whispered to herself in disbelief.

She remained unseen, and decided it would be best to give them all a surprise attack. From her bag she fished out her bow and a few arrows. Fayne spread herself out a bit until she had a good aim at her first target. She pulled back the string, one eye squinted as she released her finger. The bow sank into the mage's chest, and he collapsed immediately. Luckily for her, he slid off the roof.

The other mages began running to the side to peer down. _Idiots_, she thought as she quickly shot the rest down with him. As she put her bow away and stood up, a searing hot pain shot up her leg. She cried out in surprise, teetering and nearly falling off the roof herself. Fayne desperately tried to find the mage she didn't account for as she climbed higher up onto the roof away from the ledge.

Finally, she spotted the night elf mage hiding behind a huge supportive beam. She ran towards him, chasing him around the beam in order to get him out into the open. He began walking backwards, Fayne in pursuit, before he yelled something in Darnassian. Her feet were frozen to the roof. She looked down at them quickly, then back up at him with a glare. He smirked, readying another attack.

Instead, Fayne threw her shield at him. She had managed to lead him close enough to the hole she had seen in the ceiling that her shield brought him down into it. She watched as he tried to desperately blink back up, only to smash his head into the bricks along the hole's edge. She heard a crack as his head snapped back at an irregular angle.

When she heard the shattering of glass, she dropped to her stomach and peered into the hole. She spotted Varian, who was glaring back up at her, jaw clenched. "So, have you decided to help me yet?" She yelled down, giving him an innocent smile.

"It depends, what's your plan?" He yelled back, lip twitching in anger. Fayne looked down the hole, and judged the height she was at. She sat up onto her butt and slid her legs up to her knees in. She quickly jumped down, channelling a quick spell as she did. Instead of splatting onto the floor below, she jumped again, landing in front of Varian. His eyes travelled down to her feet. She looked down as well, and noticed she had actually splintered the marble steps from the impact of the jump.

"My plan," she said, crossing her arms again. "It's simple if the people you choose to recruit aren't idiots like the mages up on the roof." He looked back at her, giving her another glare.

"You killed them?" He asked. She shrugged.

"They got in my way. What else was I supposed to do?" He eyed the scorched plate on her thigh before looking back at her again.

"The plan?" He asked once more.

She sighed. "Basically, we travel to Booty Bay. From there, we hop on the boat and you shall charm the captain into bringing us to the side of Orgrimmar that faces the sea. This way we don't waste valuable time by travelling from Ratchet to Durotar. Once we climb up the side of the mountain, I will lead the way to my little secret weapon."

Varian snorted. "What _secret weapon_?" Fayne sighed again. How could someone who leads an entire faction be so daft?

"Are there bees in your brain buzzing around so nosily you can't understand a word I am saying? Or would you like a definition of the word secret?" Varian was about to knock her unconscious when the sound of a few people running came from down the hall. He sat upright and looked over Fayne's shoulder. In turn, she turned her head, letting out a small whistle. "Alright, that wasn't me, I swear."

Two guards had quickly carried a dead guard with half his face ripped off towards them. They carefully tried to lower the body onto the ground. "Just drop him, he's dead anyways," Fayne said. The female guard looked up at her angrily, then looked up at Varian.

"There's something written on his chest," she croaked. Varian stood up and strode towards them, dropping on one knee. The guards in turn rolled him over onto his back. Fayne walked over, peering to see what it said.

On his bare chest, a message was carved into his skin. "What does it say?" Varian growled. Fayne slowly inched closer, finally reading it. She nearly fainted.

"Oh gods," she whispered, backing away. Varian glared at her before looking back at the body.

"What did you say your name was?" He said, not looking back at her. She gulped.

"Fayne."

"And that would be short for 'Faynestra', correct?" His tone was ice cold.

"Precisely," she whispered back.

"What does it say," he asked her again, turning to look at her. Her eyes were wide and locked onto the words carved into the flesh. Her breaths came fast and sharp.

"It's a message for me, not you," she said harshly, her eyes searching his. His narrowed as he stood up, towering over her. "If you are trying to intimidate me with size, it won't work." She shoved past him and claimed his previous spot beside the body. The guards looked at her nervously.

She removed a plate glove from her right hand. "Take the chest piece off," she demanded. The guards looked up at Varian, who nodded. Once it was off, Fayne dropped to her knees and leaned down towards the body. Taking her now free hand, she touched the wound with a finger,

"What are you-"

And placed it into her mouth. Her eyes flashed, then snapped back up to Varian's.

"This isn't his blood," she growled. Varian was getting angry. Was this woman insane?

"Explain to me everything you know about this... situation." He looked at the guards, who quickly bowed and left. Once the door was shut, he turned back to Fayne. She chewed her lip as she stared at the words.

"What do you know about fel magic?" She asked him, tracing a letter once more, this time smelling the blood.

"Other than the fact that blood elves consume it, nothing." He watched her eyes narrow as they darted to his, then back to the body.

"It's very easy to get hooked on it. High doses of it is extremely dangerous, and can leave a regular warrior addicted. Once addicted, they act much like anyone who is dependent on a substance. They'll do anything to get a dose. High dosages of fel energy distorts braincells, which often leads to violent acts in order to get a fix. Now, there is an even worse form of fel energy that not many people know about.

"The only way to get access to it is if you mutate the fel energy molecules in a very specific way. It's highly difficult to accomplish, and not a lot of people know how to do this. From what I heard, there are only three people in all of Azeroth who can alter the genetic code of fel energy. Now, this changed fel magic also mutates the braincells into centring the anticipation of their next dose as the top priority. Even breathing is affected because of it."

She paused, letting it all sink into Varian's head.

"Where are you getting at with this?" He asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"Let me finish then. Essentially, this mutated fel energy mind controls its consumer by using the need for more of it as a key to do _anything_." Varian still had no clue where she was going with this new information, and his face showed it.

"Garrosh is using mutated fel energy on some of his warriors... he calls them 'fel gladiators'. And judging by the strong taint of fel energy in this blood," she pointed at the guard's chest, "They were here." Her voice shook at the last words and she looked back to the words sliced into his skin.

"What does it say," Varian growled. Fayne shifted from her knees onto her bottom, and let out a long, shaky breath.

"Basically Garrosh wants me dead. I already knew that, but I guess this is a 'friendly reminder'." She rubbed her face with her hands, the fel tainted blood smearing onto her face.

"You should sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow," Varian observed. Fayne snorted, looking back at him, who was now standing.

"Sleep is for the weak. I've learnt how to function with limited energy long ago." Varian exhaled sharply. Her tone had a constant splinter of disrespect in it. She scowled at him before continuing. "Besides, it's not like I can stay here."

"Not if I escort you," he finally said. She laughed, clearly amused.

"Escort? Can't you get a few guards to do that?" He grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the hallway as she began standing up. "Are we in a hurry?" Varian glared at her. She shook him off.

"Did your mother raise you to be this rude?" She straightened her back and held her head up, and he could tell she was pissed off.

"She wouldn't have if she wasn't dead," she spat. "I was raised by myself, thank you very much." She reached the throne room's doors and threw them open. The two guards who had brought the body in raised their weapons.

"Oh, put your weapons down. You wouldn't dare shoot me when I'm this close to your precious leader." They dropped their weapons immediately. As they exited the Keep, Varian spoke up.

"Look, I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know your mother died? I'm not a mind reader." Fayne had begun to jog down the marble steps, but stopped suddenly as he finished speaking.

"I don't want your insincere apologizes, alright? Try again when you actual mean it." She picked her feet up again and nearly ran down the rest of the stairs. Varian had stopped at the top of the stairs. Fayne turned around, placing her hands on her hips.

"Duel me," he said. Fayne laughed.

"Are you asking me to fight you? In _your_ city full of _your_ guards? You truly are mad." Varian kept a straight face.

"You dare plot an attack on my city, but are too afraid to duel me one on one?" A snort.

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything. I don't feel like dying for such a silly cause. I have things to do with my life," she once again started walking away. She heard him unsheathe his sword, and heard him charge.

Fanye smirked. _If he wants a fight, I'll give him one._


	4. Chapter 3

Varian smashed his swords into her shield. She slid back a few feet from the impact, but didn't fall. "I thought you didn't want to fight me," he growled. She smirked.

"I sense a fight when it's brewing. I said that I didn't want to die, not that I wasn't ready." At the last word, she ducked and slammed her shield into his knees, spinning around before he could strike her back. In an instant, it was over. She had her sword to his jugular.

"You're dead," Fayne said, pulling her sword from his neck, a large grin plastered onto her face. Varian was impressed.

"Welcome to the Alliance, sweetheart," He said mockingly as she sheathed her weapon and slung her shield over her back.

"Ha, I didn't know the king had a sense of humour," Fayne said.

"What do you mean?" Fayne walked side by side with him.

"Varian Wrynn, cracking a joke? I've been told your swords have been stuck so far up your ass, nothing to you is amusing."

Varian hummed. "And who told you that, may I ask?" She laughed.

"The entire opposing faction."

A silence filled the air. "Where are we going?" Fayne murmured.

"I'm taking you to someone I can trust."

* * *

"You have _got_ to be joking," Fayne said as more than a dozen Alliance orphans began poking at her with foam swords. "The enemy has breached the city walls! Get her!" She quickly hid behind Varian as a horde of little children began charging at her, battle cries filling the air. The caretaker tried to calm them.

"Now now children, that is no way we act to a guest of our king, do we?" The children stopped, and dropped their heads.

"No, Matron Nightingale." She corralled them over to their beds and told them to play quietly as Varian pulled Fayne into the corner.

"What's going on?" Nightingale asked, eyeing Fayne closely. "Are you trying to give the kids nightmares!?" Fayne shifted her weight, annoyed. _This must be the broodmother of the abandoned children_.

"Hi, I'm Fayne!" She casually stuck her hand out at the small, black haired woman. The matron took a step back, panicked. Varian swatted Fayne's hand down, which caused Fayne to half cover her mouth and whisper to Varian. "Who shoved a stick up her ass?"

Varian pushed her roughly and told her to go wait over on the other side of the room. She walked over and hit her back against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position. A child wandered over to her and stared. "Yes?" She asked calmly.

"Are you gonna hurt us?" Fayne smiled at him.

"No, but do you know what?" The little boy cocked his head. "I am... craving children soup!" She yelled, grabbing the boy and tickling him. He laughed violently, trying to tickle her back.

"What are you doing!" Matron Nightingale shrieked, running over and snatching the still giggling little boy out of Fayne's arms.

"I'm entertaining myself and others, is there a problem?" She looked innocently into her eyes.

"Sire, this woman is causing chaos!" Varian tried to calm her down, and took the boy from her arms and let him go. He ran back to Fayne and sat on her lap.

"Is she always this angry?" She whispered. The little boy shook his head.

"Only when she doesn't like someone. I don't think she likes you." Fayne gave a small 'hmmph'. "You don't say."

"She's bonding with the children, there's no need to get so worried."

"Worried? Of course I'm worried! You bring this, this Horde _wench_ into my orphanage and expect me not to worry?"

"She's not going to kidnap them in the middle of the night."

"And you know this how?"

"She's not stupid."

"She looks like she is!"

Fayne smiled to herself. _Ah, jealousy,_ she thought. _The sweet smell of jealousy_. Fayne patted the boy on the head and stood up. She casually walked out the door, sticking her head back in the say, "Well, if you guys are done arguing, I'll be heading to the inn now." She hopped down the stairs and turned left, heading down the street.

A door slammed. She continued walking, listening to the heavy footsteps get closer. "She's an angry one." A hand spun her around.

"Fayne, what the hell was that? Are you insane?" Fayne tilted her head to the side.

"No, why would you think that?" His eyes were glaring. She wanted to push a bit further, but resisted. "The kid came up to me, what did you want me to do, ignore him?"

"Why do you answer my questions with more questions?"

"Why do you never leave me alone?"

"Answer my question."

"Answer mine first."

"You're childish."

"Only when I'm around you," she said, knowing she'd win with that.

"What do you mean by that?" Fayne smiled. She turned her head around and batted her eyelashes. "I can't help it. You're so different than the people I've lived with. It just slips out of me and you seem to almost... almost encourage it." Varian gave a look of confusion.

"What do you mean by-" Fayne put her finger to his mouth.

"So many questions, so little time."

Varian sighed. "Look, you are staying in that orphanage for the night, whether you like it or not." Fayne nearly laughed.

"You're telling me this? I don't have a problem with where I stay, but I think the broodmother does."

Varian made a sound of annoyance. "See, this is why she feels uncomfortable around you. Her life revolves around those children, and she can't help but feel jittery when _you're _in there. It doesn't help that you're armed to the tooth, either." Fayne shrugged.

"I've made myself useful to the world. And if it would make her so happy, here," she handed him her sword. It was _Souldrinker. _

"You-"

"Defeated Deathwing? Yes." A silence had fallen upon them. He looked Fayne over as they walked; he took into account her armour as well, adorned with what looked like molten lava. He moved up to her head and her face. He noticed she always held her head high, even in an enemy's city, her jaw always slightly tightened. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail, to keep it out of her face. He studied her walk as well; confident and strong. She would be a force to reckon with if she fought one-on-one even with opponents twice her size.

Varian realized, he wanted to see her fight like she normally would, nothing holding her back. _Surely she isn't easily defeated?_ He thought about Garrosh Hellscream again. Maybe she could actually down the war chief. The silence was getting unbearable. "How was it?" He asked.

"How was what?" Fayne asked, confused.

"Fighting Deathwing." Fayne furrowed her brow.

"It was pretty scary, I must admit. Fighting so high up... He kept rolling, and we had to hang on for dear life. These... abominations kept forming from his blood. And when he finally fell... it took me a while to realize I was pummelling to the ground. My parachute wouldn't open either. I was panicking, and finally accepted I'd be a splotch on the ground when a priest grabbed me. I owe him my life." she paused.

"I owe a lot of people my life by now I guess. But that incident was the worst, knowing if I died, and not even from Deathwing himself, I had failed. I had failed myself, the Horde, even the Alliance." There was another pause, and Varian opened his mouth to speak before she continued.

"Man, it was hot. I thought my sword would melt in his 'flesh'. And in a crazy way, I felt bad for him. And I hate to admit it, but he was about 3 seconds away from destroying Azeroth."

Fayne looked up at him then, giving a small smile and shrug.

"He almost conjured the final Cataclysm?" She nodded.

"He was looking at me, kept on whispering to me. He was trying to get me to falter, to get me to let down my guard for even a second so he could strike. He kept asking how it felt to know that everything I was doing was in vain. He asked me how it felt to let down Azeroth. I had enough of it, and I stabbed him, hard. So hard he had stopped. Everyone was rejoicing, and I realized after I calmed down that I had possibly dealt the final blow."

A shiver ran down Fayne's spine. Little did anyone know, because of that one thought, she was afraid of herself.


	5. Chapter 4

As Varian and Fayne trudged around the city in silence, the air became thick with smog and various smokes. Fayne coughed a bit, and shielded her eyes from the stinging sensation.

"Welcome to the Dwarven District... there's a bit of smoke, if you can tell."

She shot him an annoyed look through her fingers. "Yeah, I do." Varian suddenly stopped, facing her. She promptly bumped into his chest, an _oomph_ coming from her mouth as the wind was knocked right out of her lungs.

"What the hell..." she grumbled, looking at him with a scowl.

"You're about to decide your own fate," he said with a dark look. Her scowl faded and was replaced with a look of shock.

"Fate? I decided my destiny back in Durotar. If you think I'm a coward," she said, poking him roughly in the chest, "then why humour me this long? Why not just dispose of me?" The look she gave him then could have burnt holes through his skull.

"I'm giving you a chance. I can read your emotions like a scroll; I know already you haven't got much of a choice throughout your life before. This whole 'plan' of yours is your key to your own freedom. You've been locked up in your misery so long, you think killing your capture could finally free you from your own death."

Fayne laughed coldly. "You think you know me so well, yet you haven't figured out _why_ I'm doing this. Tell me something, Wrynn? Do you feel pity?" The question was rhetorical. "When you learn why I'm doing this... I bet you will." Her face broke into one of sadness, her eyes distant as if her past was being played out right in front of her.

"So it's decided then," Varian said simply. She nodded, her eyes still staring off into space. "Just remember, any of these days could be your last now." Fayne scoffed.

"Death is not something I'm afraid of." Varian nodded.

"Good."

Walking back to the orphanage was uneventful. Neither said a word, as all conversation seemed to have been lost back in the Dwarven District. They both stopped at door. "Sleep. We leave at dawn."

Fayne's jaw dropped open and her eyes nearly exploded out of her head.

"Are you kidding me?" She almost yelled, searching his eyes for even the slightest hint of humour. "We can't leave so soon! Surely you must recruit an army!"

Varian shrugged. "I can do that in five minutes. The longer we wait, the easier the opportunity could slip away, correct?"

Fayne stumbled for words. She sighed, frustrated.

"I hope you don't always jump into things this quickly, Varian Wrynn." Varian shrugged.

"I do what I see fit." Fayne grumbled and climbed the wooden stairs, opening the door.

"If I see one scratch on that sword tomorrow... it'll be the last thing you ever see again," and with that, she shut the door in his face.

* * *

Fayne tossed and turned, but as much as she could, she could not find sleep. She wasn't a germaphobe, but she felt as if a million bugs were crawling on her. The orphanage was cozy, but the spare bunk she was given surely had colonies of insects in it. She grumbled something about the matron trying to kill her before dosing off again. She was awoken by something biting her head.

The blood elf swore silently to herself, but refused to get out of the gross bed. She knew eventually she would find a comfortable position, and would fall asleep. She shifted, tossed, turned. Fayne eventually resorted to sitting up and throwing the pillow angrily across the room, knocking over an empty barrel. "It feels like a rock anyways," she mumbled. She fell back onto the bed. For some reason, the bed was more comfortable without a pillow, and Fayne finally fell asleep.

* * *

As soon as Varian returned to the Keep, he was greeted by his pacing son, Anduin. "Father! What's going on? Everyone refuses to tell me what's happening! And where were you?" Varian kept walking, as his son trailed him, waiting for an answer.

"Son, an opportunity struck me in the face, and I grabbed it." Anduin was almost jogging in order to keep up with Varian's large strides.

"But father, you taught me that if anything were to hit me in the face, I should hit it back." Anduin was trying to search his father's eyes, but Varian had averted them back towards the corridor ahead of him.

"This was an opportunity, Anduin, not a pesky fly. A woman has presented me with something I could not turn down," Varian began to explain.

"Has she offered to lay with you?" His son asked innocently. Varian sighed.

"No." He inhaled, and continued. "She has conjured a plan to take down Garrosh Hellscream, with my help." Anduin gasped, stopping. He tugged at Varian's arm, stopping him as well. "Father, you must take me with you!"

"Absolutely not," he said. He began walking again, drowning out Anduin's rambling.

"Father, this is so unfair! You never let me do anything exciting! How long are you going to keep me shielded from the real world? I have to learn these things, I bet grandfather let you go along with him to battles, didn't he?"

Varian looked behind him, shaking his head firmly. "I trained as a warrior, son. Of course he took me." He knew it would stab his son's feelings, but he had to toughen him up. He was training to be a priest; warrior blood ran in the Varian family. His son would be considered a disgrace.

"One day, you're going to have to be proud of me, father. I'm going to be the King one day too. And whether you like it or not, I'm going to be leading Stormwind as a priest!"

Varian was done listening to this nonsense, and headed towards the Keep's library. He beckoned Daven over. "Yes, my lord, how may I help?" Daven was just relieved the king was still in one piece. "Assemble the army, Daven. Tomorrow is when we leave."

"Leave? Leave where?" Daven stammered. Varian was convinced his Keep was full of babbling, pigeon-brained people. "To Orgrimmar, Daven. We will gather here at sunrise, and leave before noon," Varian stated, heading out of the library and towards his personal chambers. Daven was almost frozen in his place. He quickly snapped out of his trance, and began running around wildly, informing everyone who would be apart of whatever Varian was planning.

* * *

Fayne awoke suddenly, but did not open her eyes. She felt a small, constant breath on her cheek. Cracking an eye open, she was met with the face of the small boy from the other night. She closed her eye once more, muttering. "I'm sure this will put the matron in a rut." Fayne tried to change positions, but it was no use. The boy latched onto her like a leech.

"It's time to leave," she heard a gruff voice say. Her eyes shot open and met with Varian's from across the room. She groaned.

"Surely you haven't gathered an army is so little time," she said quietly, partially sitting up while unhooking the child's arms from herself. Fayne moved to the edge of the bed, her feet swinging over onto the floor. She stretched her arms over her head, shoulders cracking loudly.

"How long have you been standing here for?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.

"Long enough to hear you muttering something about Matron Nightingale."

Fayne rolled her eyes. "Be quiet, and let's just get this over with."

* * *

The Keep suddenly felt a lot smaller, considering it was overflowing with guards, battle-ready adventurers, and a few onlookers, and the fact that everyone was yet again ready to attack Fayne as soon as she had arrived. "Put down your weapons," Varian growled loudly above the commotion. He grabbed Fayne's wrist and pulled her closer to him as they walked.

"What a warm welcome!" Fayne said to try to lighten the mood for no one other than herself. They finally reached the front of the group, by the throne.

"Men, women, I've asked you to accompany me to Orgrimmar in an attempt to bring down Hellscream. The plan was devised by this woman here, so I expect everyone's uttermost respect towards her throughout our trip there." Varian let go of Fayne's wrist after he was done speaking, and motioned to take her turn.

"My name is Faynestra Brightbane, and well, I've grown a mutual hatred of yours towards the Horde, more specifically the monster who leads it. He's completely destroyed my life, and I want nothing but to see his head on a spike above that retched city. Garrosh is playing around with fel energy, and is creating fierce and extremely lethal weapons out of a large amount of his warriors. I have come to refer to them as 'fel gladiators', and we _must_ do whatever we can to stop them before they strike out. Are there any questions you have for me before we leave?"

Fayne feebly searched the crowd, hoping she had convinced them. A night elven priest had spoken up.

"How exactly are these 'fel gladiators' lethal weapons?" Fayne found her in the crowd and looked at her as she replied.

"Fel magic is extremely addictive, and with the large dosage Garrosh is giving his warriors, it is easy for him to control them, since the warriors know if they comply they will receive more. They will literally do anything to get their fix."

The priest nodded slowly. "So, if he starts withdrawing the gladiators from the fel magic... they will become more enraged and cause more havoc in order to ensure they get their fix?" Fayne clapped her hands together.

"Exactly. Who knows if he's still giving them controlled amounts of the stuff or not."

A male voice spoke from the back of the crowd. "And how exactly do you propose we defeat these gladiators then?" Agreement had broken out, and Wrynn let out a cough. It immediately went silent.

"Well..." Fayne began. "I myself consume a very miniscule dose of fel magic every once in a while. While under the effect, even a small one, resistances to holy and arcane magic are very weak. And just by looking at what we have here to work with, we shouldn't have a problem."

Another voice perked up, but Fayne could not locate its owner.

"What about Garrosh. How are we supposed to storm their city without creating a scene before we are able to even get to Grommash Hold?" Fayne smiled. She could finally reveal her actual plan.

"How many of you witnessed the protest and the raid on the city yesterday afternoon?" Almost everyone in the Keep raised a hand.

"Great. The initial distraction was the protest, correct? We can top that. We won't even have to do anything risky to get into the city. I know the place inside out. I happen to know a very crucial secret hiding underneath the city... almost like the Deeprun Tram system, except orcs are too stupid to build stuff like that."

The night elf priestess spoke up. "This... just might work. Count me in." Fayne gave another small smile, and almost praised the gods for giving her this woman. Slowly, more people began piping up as well. After a few minutes, the Keep was filled with loud voices and the distinct smell of readiness for battle.

Fayne turned her head to look at Varian, and raised an eyebrow. "I think I speak for everyone when I say you defiantly are convincing." The Keep finally settled down again, and Fayne knew she could take another shot to win these people's hearts, but decided against it. It was not the time.

Battle cries sounded as the majority of the crowd ran down the corridor, and Fayne watched as they mounted up and strapped themselves to their flying mounts. "So we leave then," Varian said, and began walking down the steps away from his throne. Something small buzzed in Fayne's chest, something familiar.

"We're going to take down Garrosh," Varian stated, turning around. He was waiting for Fayne to follow. She stood still, her gaze fixated on nothing but thin air.

"Yeah... We're going to take down Garrosh," she spoke, almost in a whisper, before something changed in her eyes. Fayne looked at Varian, who was still waiting for her, and began to descend the stairs.

_So now it all begins. _


	6. Chapter 5

"I need to go get Tanis." Fayne said as they exited the Keep.

"Tanis?" Varian echoed, raising and eyebrow.

"Yes, my proto-drake. I left her tied up in the hills." The night elf priestess had been following them, and decided to speak up.

"I can give you a lift up there to quicken things up, if you want. By the way, my name is Asteriel. It's really an honour to be chosen to help defeat Hellscream." Fayne sighed, pleased.

"Asteriel, it's a pleasure to meet you. And that would be absolutely great, thank you so much for offering. Oh, and Wrynn?" Fayne said, turning to Varian. "Where can we meet up with you? I don't want to keep you all waiting any further." Varian had a blank expression on his face.

"I told everyone to meet up in Booty Bay. I can wait for you two though."

Fayne shook her head. "No, you get going. Booty Bay, got it." Fayne turned back to Asteriel, who had grabbed her arm and started walking presumably to her mount.

"Sorielstrasz, well, isn't really eye candy anymore. He might even shock you a bit. But don't worry, he will not harm you. He's quite a pleasant creature."

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Fayne was looking up at what had to be the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in her life. Asteriel jokingly pushed Fayne's lower jaw back up. "Told you," she said. Fayne shook her head.

"No, it's just that... he's so _majestic._" Sorielstrasz, a former member of the Red Dragonflight, was now what ordinary people would call, quite literally, a pile of bones. A wonderful blue light came from inside his empty ribcage. He was fascinating in Fayne's eyes.

Asteriel patted Sorielstrasz's head gently, and pulled herself onto his back. She lent Fayne a hand as she followed suit, giving the undead drake a pat on his side after she was securely strapped in. "So where did you say you left your proto?" Asteriel asked as they lifted into the air.

"In the hills beside the city, directly ahead of us," Fayne replied. Asteriel let out a small whistle.

"That place was once so pretty, but it's overrun by the Defias Brotherhood now. It was a popular romantic date site for the younger humans, so I've heard." Fayne nodded, even though the night elf couldn't see. "I had to slaughter a few in order to camp out there. I didn't even know I wasn't alone until I got ambushed. They're good at lurking around." To Fayne's surprise, they were nearly there. Her mount proved to be quick, even in death. Fayne quickly checked to see if the coast was clear before they descended.

"I don't see anything, but I could be wrong yet again," she said. Asteriel gave a small shrug and pulled the reins anyways, and soon their feet were on solid ground again. "Tanis is further in the forest. Wait here, or actually, you can head off if you want. With that dragon, you'll catch up to the others in no time," Fayne laughed. Asteriel leaned back against a tree.

"Nah, it's better if we at least stay together. I wouldn't want you getting lost, especially in Elwynn Forest, or worse, Duskwood. You've proved to be quite useful."

Fayne smiled, and began trudging into the thick forest. The trees barely let any light in, and Fayne had to squint her eyes in order to get her way around. She nearly rammed her face into a low-hanging branch, but managed to duck just in time. Her ears skimmed the rough surface, and she cursed as she felt a tiny piece splinter her left ear. "Damn nature," she mumbled as she continued walking.

Low rumbling noises assaulted her ears as she entered a small clearing. She clicked her tongue, and the rumbling was replaced with small, affectionate roars. As Fayne finally reached the proto-drake, she unsheathed her sword and swiftly cut the ropes that left the dragon tied up. She sheathed her weapon once more, and stroked the dragon's head with an up-stretched hand. It lowered it's massive head, so their eyes were level. "I'm sorry for leaving you all alone, girl," Fayne cooed, as she rubbed the dragon between the eyes. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Asteriel looked up into the sky, putting her hand against her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun, and saw a green proto-drake approaching her quickly. Without a word, she remounted Sorielstrasz, and buckled herself in. She lifted off, as Fayne finally met up with her. "Alright, let's go. I'm sure we can catch up to the rest before they stray too far ahead," Asteriel said. She pulled the reins to the left, and Sorielstrasz turned as well. They began flying away from Stormwind City, and Fayne called out.

"How long do you think it would take to get to Booty Bay?" She was now side by side with Asteriel, and the priestess shot her a sideways look.

"Considering we're almost to Goldshire already, I'd say about two or three days. And, we could probably catch up to most of the others in a few hours." Fayne nodded and looked back to the sky ahead of her. She didn't know what else to say, but she also didn't want to sit in an awkward silence the entire trip.

"So what interested you into becoming a priestess?" Fayne asked suddenly. Asteriel looked back at the blood elf again, a small smile on her face. "Most likely the same reason that encouraged you into becoming a warrior," she replied. Fayne furrowed her eyebrows.

"If you trained in order to avenge your mother, then it is." The smile on the night elf's face faded.

"Is that why you're here now? I guess your training is almost complete then," she said. Fayne gave a small shrug. "I guess it is. I'm just really nervous. If this fails... it will be all my fault."

"Hey, we won't fail. Besides, you got me as a healer, we'll be fine," Asteriel said, winking. "You better be a damn good healer then, Garrosh is _really_ big." Asteriel laughed. "You've got Varian helping you. You've clearly never heard about their little brawl in Dalaran a few years back."

"And I don't want to unless Garrosh got his ass kicked," Fayne said. Asteriel raised an eyebrow. "So you're really going to do this? Kill Garrosh?" Fayne nodded, and sighed. "If I don't, who will? Someone's going to have to stop him."

* * *

"Aw, why did you have to choose something so difficult! I can't see anything in this darkness!" Fayne whined.

"Trust me, it's actually pretty obvious," Asteriel remarked, stifling laughter.

"Oh damn you! It's the reins, isn't it?" Asteriel slapped her thigh. "About time!" Fayne shook her head in disapproval.

"You're supposed to be picking things far away, not something in plain sight." Asteriel smiled wickedly. "Hey, I'm winning still, so clearly I'm doing something right." Fayne snorted.

"I still say you're cheating," which provoked the night elf. "You can't cheat at this game!" Asteriel has suddenly went quiet.

"Alright fine, I admit it, I suck at this game and you are the master of it! Happy now?" Asteriel reached her hand into the air, as if she was trying to put it over Fayne's mouth. Fayne quickly realized she was to remain quiet, and tried to look at what the night elf was so interested in.

In her ranting state, Fayne never took in her surroundings, and they were now in a jungle rather than a spooky forest. "Whoa, is this Stranglethorn Vale?" She asked. Asteriel nodded her head, and suddenly swooped down. Fayne gave no one in particular a puzzled face, and followed Asteriel, sighing. From the looks of it, there was a campfire burning in the clearing of the trees. A large number of tents were pitched up, and to the left, a zoo of flying creatures of all different species and sizes were tied to trees. The night elf woman landed first, and swiftly tied Sorielstrasz to a tree using a thick vine.

"Looks like we finally found you guys. How long have you been here?" Fayne began tying Tanis to a tree beside Sorielstrasz as she listened to the priestess.

"Not too long. We all needed a rest, so we decided to set up camp here. A few others kept going, saying they'd make it to Booty Bay and stay there until we arrived. Oh well, looks like they're missing out on the excellent food," what looked to be a Draenei paladin said as he handed Asteriel a wooden bowl filled with something that smelled absolutely delicious.

"Food!" Fayne exclaimed, almost racing towards the priestess and the paladin. Everyone had turned their heads towards her. "Sorry, I haven't eaten in days. I got excited," Fayne said, a tiny bit of embarrassment noticeable in her voice.

"I told you to eat before we left," a voice grunted. Fayne shot Varian a look of contempt. "I would have if you didn't drag me up to speak in front of everyone, trust me. Food is my second true love." Asteriel laughed, handing her a bowl. "Your first being?"

"That, is my little secret," Fayne replied mischievously, plopping down. She resisting the urge to shove her face into the bowl and eat like a dog in front of everyone. She shovelled a large portion of food into her mouth, and let out a happy groan. "Oh, by the Light, who is the magnificent being who crafted this masterpiece of a meal?" Fayne asked, shoving more food into her mouth. She didn't care if she was being unladylike. She was hungry, damn it. The sky could be falling down on her and she wouldn't have stopped eating.

"I did," said the paladin who Asteriel was speaking to before. "You sir," Fayne said, pointing her spoon at him, "are a god." He laughed and asked if she wanted more, which she hastily agreed to.

After five servings of the tastiest food Fayne had ever eaten in her life, she had laid down on the floor on her back, and let out a long groan. She was ready to burst, and quickly unbuckled her chest-piece, throwing it away. She laid back down, and rubbed her finally full stomach. "I think that just killed me, and I enjoyed every second of it," she said, closing her eyes. "Is that a tattoo?" Asteriel asked. She felt a finger lift her linen shirt a few inches higher. "Wow, whoever did that had to have a lot of patience," she breathed.

"Yeah I know. I barely had the patience to sit there long enough to do it, and it explains why there is no colour," Fayne replied.

"No, I think it looks better just plain black." Her shirt was tugged back down to it's original position. "Did it hurt?" Fayne almost choked on her laughter.

"I've had a man cut my back open, so no, it did not hurt. I've been told I have a high pain tolerance though. The artist who tattooed me said it's because my brain is so tiny, I can't acknowledge the pain."

She heard Varian laugh a few feet away. "That was rude of him. Thank Elune he was a good artist, or I would have slapped him," Asteriel said.

"It's okay, I clocked him over the head after he was done," she replied calmly, a tiny threat edged in her voice directed to Varian.

"Is that so?" He said. "Yeah." As everyone had finished their dinner, they were all ready for bed. Fayne was ready to fall asleep right there before Asteriel nudged her.

"There's one tent left, if you want to share. There are tribes of wild trolls in the area, so I don't suggest sleeping out here."

Fayne whined as the night elf tried dragging her to the tent. "No, let them take me. I'm fine with it as long as they don't be too noisy." She felt Asteriel let go, and so she rolled onto her side, feeling victorious. Instead, two massive arms grabbed her and hauled her up. "Oh good, the trolls arrived earlier than I expected." She didn't even bother opening her eyes, she knew who it was. Varian literally threw the blood elf onto Asteriel, who was busy trying to make the inside of the tent more cozy.

"Hey!" They both yelled, Fayne finally opening her eyes to give Varian a disapproving glare. "Good night," he said, pulling the tent closed.

Fayne finally got off of Asteriel, apologizing. "No, it's not your fault. It's alright anyways, I'm not _that_ weak." The blood elf rolled onto her stomach, and fell asleep instantly. She hadn't even bothered taking her armour off.

"Your bones will ache when you awake," the priestess murmured. She laid down farther away from her tent buddy, and rolled onto her side to face the tent's wall, finally closing her tired eyes.

* * *

Fayne nearly jumped out of her skin as a loud banging came from outside of the tent. "Wake up! It's time to eat and prepare to leave!" She heard the familiar booming voice of the Draenei with the amazing culinary skills.

"If it wasn't for your good food, I would be pulling your hair out strand by strand!" Came the voice of a rather angry female somewhere farther back. Fayne lifted her head and opened her eyes, yipping as the thin cloth walls of the tent provided no shelter from the sun. She turned her head just in time to see Asteriel exiting the tent.

"We better hurry, we shouldn't be late again," she said as her body disappeared. Fayne sighed and got up reluctantly, and crawled out of the tent. It suddenly collapsed on her, as a piece of her plate armour had snagged it.

To the delight of onlookers, everyone laughed as the tent seemed to flail around violently. A small woman had begun searching the tent for a possible exit, laughing hysterically as she did. She finally found what would have been the entrance to the tent, and yanked Fayne out suddenly. She nearly knocked over the slim human, as she tried to regain her balance. The woman gently steady her, and Fayne gave her a huge smile. "Oh thank the Light, you slayed the evil Tent Overlord, and saved the damsel in distress! How can I ever repay you for your courageous deeds?" The woman patted Fayne's arm.

"Just make sure Hellscream dies, alright?" Fayne was about to say she couldn't really make the promise, but the little human had already walked away towards the crowd. Instead, she was left with her mouth awkwardly hung open. She shrugged and began to follow, picking up her abandoned chest-piece on the way.

"Why is this forsaken thing always easier to take off than put back on?" She said, irritated. Asteriel quickly helped her with the back straps as Fayne thanked her.

"So it's easier for a man to take off," a night elven male said, winking. Fayne returned it with a peculiar look as Asteriel dragged her over to the cook.

"Right, I never got your name? Although 'the guy with the great food' is a pretty suitable name, I do think it's better if I refer to you as your actual name?" Fayne asked the Draenei, who had handed her a bowl of food. "Call me Pathin," he said, giving her free hand a shake with a huge hand.

"Seriously, who taught you how to create such amazing meals?" Fayne asked, moving onto her third serving.

"Ah, I taught myself mostly. It just takes much discipline, and a lot of imagination," he said. Fayne swallowed, her eyes fluttering. "The imagination in this dish is quite evident." It was true; the various spices contrasted together wonderfully with the tenderly cooked meat. The woman who had helped her out of the tent had suddenly reappeared.

"Are you all ready to leave? A few have already left, but please do take your time." Fayne nodded, but was full anyways. She helped pick up empty bowls and dishes along with the help of the human and Asterial.

"Here, let me take those from you. I'm going to be helping Pathin with washing these. I'm Fabren Desmond, by the way." Fayne greeted the mage, and thanked Pathin and Fabren for the wonderful meal. Wrynn had waited for her this time, and Fayne feebly searched for Asteriel.

"She got dragged away by a few people," he said as Fayne noticed Sorielstrasz was missing. "Oh?" She asked as she cut Tanis free.

"Yes, there are a few other priests here as well. It seemed urgent, but they do tend to make everything seem like such a big deal anyways." Fayne rolled her eyes and hopped onto the green proto-drake.

* * *

Fayne almost felt bad for the poor gryphon Varian was sitting upon. It seemed like it wouldn't be able to carry his large weight. Then again, gryphons are absurdly strong. She gave a finally goodbye to Fabren and Pathin before gently patting Tanis' side. The large dragon lifted into the air and followed a few people scattered in front of her, Varian behind her. He steered it so that the were side by side, like Asteriel and her had been the day before. She sighed, knowing yet another long flight had begun, and each sweep of Tanis' giant wings brought her closer to the fate she had given herself.

"Is there something wrong?" Varian asked, casting her a sideways look.

"No, it's just that I'm just not used to travelling so much anymore. I'm not young, you know," she said.

"Not young? You certainly don't look nearly as old as me." She laughed. "Yeah, I know. I was kidding. I'm only twenty-four, but now the years are going to drag on for an eternity for me."

"Ah yes, elves age much slower after maturity," Varian said. "So do you have an future plans, after we defeat Hellscream?" Fayne thought for a moment.

"If, we do. And I'd like to move to Nagrand, and build a house on one of those floating islands, and just live there until I die." Varian raised an eyebrow.

"Alone?" She shook her head. "I'd have Tanis, of course."

"That's not what I meant," Varian said. "You don't see yourself raising a family?" Fayne shrugged, staring back ahead.

"I'd like to, but I'm not too intent on finding anyone as of the moment. It will happen when it happens. I don't see myself living with anyone though. I scare everyone away with my childish ways." A small smile tugged at her lips.

"That's something your partner would have to settle with. I see it more as a phase than anything. You'll grow out of it. Besides, you're not always childish. I've never seen a child plan the death of her own faction's leader. If there has been, I'd like to meet him or her." A silence tugged at them as they flew at a steady pace.

"We are going to have to camp out again," Varian observed as a storm seemed to brew up ahead. "It doesn't seem like it's going to rain until later in the afternoon," Fayne objected.

"I," Varian said, "don't feel like flying in the middle of a storm." Fayne scoffed. "I've been through worse, and I know you have, so why don't we just ride it out, in the air?"

"Or, on the ground," Varian stated. _Great_, Fayne thought. _Alone with him for even longer._ A thought suddenly popped into her mind.

"So we could possible get to meet up with Pathin and Fabren?" Varian looked at her, only half understanding her eagerness to see the two. "I suppose." Fayne smiled happily. At lease she wouldn't be entirely alone with him, so it seems.


	7. Chapter 6

Fayne groaned as she jumped the small distance to the ground. It had begun pouring, and Varian insisted on stopping to ride it out. She forcibly yanked Tanis' reins, hoping the trees would provide a bit of protection for her from the rain. As Fayne finished tying her up, Varian was approaching with his gryphon. She grabbed its reins, and before Varian could protest, she gave him a hard look and simply said, "I'll do it." She walked back to Tanis, and tied the gryphon up next to her. She stood silently and watched the huge proto-drake allow the smaller creature to sit under one of her large wings.

"Are you going to stand there all day in the rain, or are you going to help me?" Fayne turned and sighed angrily.

"It wasn't my idea to sit here all day while it rained. So how about _you _pitch the tent up by yourself, while I go hunting before I rip your hair out?" She wasn't about to sit through another one of Varian's lectures, so she walked away. Fayne could practically feel the rage emitting in waves off of the Alliance leader, but she was too ticked off at him to care.

"Grow up," she heard him say angrily. "Piss off," she replied, continuing her walk.

Fayne nearly drew her weapon when she heard Varian's loud footsteps coming after her. "I'm coming with you," he said firmly. She laughed, turning around to face him. "No, you aren't." He tried protesting, but after glaring at him for a few moments, Fayne turned around and resumed walking.

"Don't do anything stupid," Varian said sharply. She snorted, but refrained from commenting.

* * *

As Fayne approached a river, she walked along the bank looking for anything she could use to get through it dry. She could not find any stepping stones, or even a tree branch draped over the water. _Great, I'm going to have to swim,_ she thought bitterly. She decided it wouldn't be a big loss, considering the rain had not stopped and she was already pretty soaked. She put a plated foot into the water, shivering as it slowly found a way to her skin.

She clenched her jaw and decided to get it over with, and dove in. Fayne grimaced. She had always hated swimming, but she made her way through the water, not rushing. She finally neared the opposite river bank, spotting the road almost concealed by the wildlife. She pathetically dragged herself onto the shore, laying there for a few moments. _I hate my life, I hate my life,_ she kept telling herself. She finally pushed herself to her feet, not bothering to dust herself off. The rain washed away the mud instantly. Fayne began climbing the small but incredibly steep incline that surely had a road at the top, but found it difficult as what should have been dirt was turned to slippery mud. She fell on her face, her still body sliding down the muddy mess of a hill, until she finally splashed back into the river.

"I hate my life!" She yelled in Zandali, pitifully splashing the water with her hands in a frustrated manner. She looked like a toddler; sitting sprawled in the shallow water, hitting the water repeatedly with her hands. She finally calmed down, but didn't get out of the water. Instead, Fayne sat there, reflecting on her day, and how terrible it had been.

She concluded that it was all Varian's fault, and that if he would have listened to her, they could be sitting in a nice, dry inn or tavern in Booty Bay. Finally having the urge to move on, Fayne got up and instead skirted around the river until she found another hill that was easier to climb. In a matter of minutes, she was on a small road.

Fayne trudged onwards, stopping once to read a sign. A piece of wood labelled _Grom'gol_ in Orcish seemed promising. She continued on her way, angered that the rain had still not stopped. Her hair was drenched, and it splayed awkwardly around her neck. And to top it off, her belly growled angrily. Fayne had no idea how far away she was from Grom'gol, but she knew she had to at least find something to eat along the way, whether it be a handful of berries or some sort of jungle plant.

She wandered into the forest once more, careful not to stray too far from the road. She got on her hands and knees to look around on the jungle floor for any vegetation that could suffice as a snack, or maybe a berry bush. Nothing. As she stood up, her head whacked something hard, and she rubbed it. Fayne took a step back, eyeing the large fruit-like thing hanging off of the short tree. She tugged on it until it was dislodged from the tree. As she examined it, she knocked on the reddish-brown shell. It was not completely hollow, which meant it defiantly had something inside, but not a lot. Fayne shrugged to herself, slicing it in half with her sword.

It smelled sweet, and she almost drooled when she saw the delicious looking flesh that was sheltered on the inside. She took a cautious sniff, as it could possibly be poisonous. It didn't seem to smell dangerous, and so she took a small nibble. The fruit was exactly how it smelt, sweet but with a slight tangy aftertaste.

The flesh of it reminded her of the prickly cacti Durotan birthed in the hotter seasons. Fayne greedily ate the fruit, and noticed that the rain gathered in the empty half she had discarded on the floor. She decided she'd leave both halves out like that, to give any small birds or animals clean drinking water. As she finished, she wiped her face insufficiently with her plate gloves.

That was one of the downfalls of heavy armour. She envied the priests and mages who could easily use a cloth sleeve as a makeshift napkin, but didn't in fear of possibly staining their precious garments. _Prudes_, Fayne thought. They were lucky they didn't choose to be warriors, or anything else that would constantly be covered in their own and other living creature's blood.

As Fayne began walking down the road again, she thought of what Asteriel had said about why she had chosen to be a warrior. It was true that most warriors were male, and the silly boys in Silvermoon City never had trouble teasing her about being manly. Sure, she wasn't completely feminine, because how could she fight something twice her size in a frilly dress? It was that mindset she seemed to display that caused the rude remarks from the men. She only wore a dress when she had to, and that was more often than people thought.

Her caretaker Brytne had dragged her to many balls and galas as she approached her teenage years, and Fayne had finally taken a small liking to them. She certainly did not like the prissy, hard to please self-proclaimed celebrities that also attended the events, but she _did_ enjoy having a chance to dress more femininely every once in a while. Of course, as she turned 15 and left home to find her place in the world, she did not attend the parties any longer.

Her best friend, Thaintae, who wrote to her throughout her lonely days scattered around and outside Azeroth, told her of how many more stuck-up people moved to Silvermoon. She also wrote about how the balls and galas quickly dissolved with their arrivals and instead turned into parties with enough booze to leave a newly pregnant girl wondering who the father was.

Sadly, that girl happened to be Thaintae, and she soon gave up her paladin training to raise her new baby. Fayne realized with a pain in her chest that it had been years since she last wrote to her, and almost a decade since she last stood face-to-face with her best friend.

She finally found herself near a Horde encampment. She was greeted by a female orc who greeted Fayne warmly, and commented on the horrid weather. Fayne nodded and responded quickly, eager to rest for a bit. The woman, who would normally have found an encounter like that rude, noted that the blood elf seemed to have arrived on foot, and was soaked to the bone and covered in mud. She gave Fayne a final pitied look as the warrior disappeared in the scurry of workers.

Numerous orcs and goblins carried crates in and out of the back gate, rushing in order to get out of the rain. Fayne asked around until she was directed to a large table, thankfully offering some protection from the rain via a piece of leather tied up on four wooden posts, like a makeshift roof. She decided to wait a few minutes until the trader arrived. If not, she would go look around in the inn. Moments later, an orc lumbered over and around the other side of the table.

"How can I help you, blood elf?" Fayne ran a thumb over her chin. "What do you have to eat and drink?" She asked. He turned around and pulled out a few samples of breads and meat. Fayne pointed to a rather yummy looking piece of meat and an equally good looking piece of bread. "That would be our cured ham steak and our moist cornbread. The steak had been curing for a while now, so it should be nice and tender, and the cornbread was baked this morning." Fayne nodded, and asked for prices. "5 steaks for 20 silver and 5 loafs for 5 silver."

Fayne gave another thought and tried to calculate how much food she would need. "Say, how long do you think it would take to fly down to Booty Bay?" She asked finally. "If you make haste, less than a day." She then thought about how she tends to eat a lot, and if they were to meet up with a few of the others. She also thought about Varian. She never bothered to see how much he ate in a sitting. But judging from his size, it would probably be a lot. She sighed. "I'll take 10 of the hams and 15 of the cornbread then. Oh, and do you have any spring water?"

The man casually pulled out the ham and bread from their little storage places around the table and questioned how much water she'd need. "I'll take 15 water pouches," she replied. After the trader calculated the cost, Fayne handed him the money and a little extra. "Ma'am, you've handed me-"

"Keep the change," she said, giving him a small smile. He looked her over, and Fayne realized it's not everyday someone with armour like hers came to visit. She sauntered around the camp, taking some time to look around before she headed back to her own little camp. She walked over to another table to examine some recipe scrolls. "We've got a special going right now," a voice called out. She looked up at who she presumed was the vendor. "Oh?"

"We've got our own recipes crafted for the wildlife around here, and right now we're having a two for one sale," the woman said kindly. "Roast Raptor, the Curiously Tasty Omelet, and my personal favourite, Jungle Stew are our top sellers." Fayne read the ingredients of each.

"Oh, the stew sounds amazing," she said. She picked up the raptor recipe and looked it over again. "Alright, I'll take these two," she decided happily as she handed the woman the money, and again a little extra. "Thank you blood elf, have a nice day, even though this rain is ridiculous." Fayne said her goodbyes and walked back out into the rain, sighing. She had sealed everything in her waterproof backpack, and hoped she could find her way back. Suddenly, as she was about to leave, she remembered something important.

"Excuse me," she asked the female guard from earlier. "Is there any place I could write a letter?" The orc pointed to the inn and she thanked her again, running to the building. The innkeeper nodded as she asked politely, and directed her to the little table with writing essentials covering it messily. She plopped down on the chair and picked up a quill. Fayne tickled her nose with the feather as she pondered how she would begin writing, and what to say. She quickly wrote the address down and a return address in case the letter got lost. She inhaled and touched the inked quill to the paper.

_Thaintae,_

_I'm sure you've been wondering about my well-being all these years, and I must reassure you that I am doing well. Fantastic even. I've been so busy all these years, moving place to place that it never crossed my mind to take a minute to write to you, and I am truly sorry. I feel ashamed. I'd be lying if I said I never thought of you all these years. _

She paused for a moment.

_The reason why I've been so distant lately was because I was helping Thrall and the Aspects defeat Deathwing... and now I'm moving on to something even more risky. I am sure you'll hear the news soon enough, and I don't know how you will take it, but please don't be angry with me... although you do have every right to be pissed at me for not writing to you all this time._

_I hope you and Nimaera are doing well. I wish I could visit you, but with the stunt I am about to pull, I don't think I'll be able to. And please tell Brytne I'm doing fine, I'm sure she's pulling her hair out over me. Please, stay safe._

_-Faynestra._

Fayne sealed the envelope with the hot wax stamp, and held it in her hands. She didn't know if she used the right words, and she felt terrible she couldn't tell her friend what she was about to do in a matter of days. _A matter of days_, she echoed in her mind. She was nervous, no doubt. If she failed, or if her plan even slightly failed, she would pretty much screw the Alliance over completely. Fayne silently got up and deposited the letter in the mail.

Varian was getting frustrated. Fayne had been gone for hours, and he was slightly worried. Had she been attacked? Did she maybe chicken out and leave? Maybe this was her plan all along. To get the king and his army out of the keep in order to raze down Stormwind. He laughed bitterly; if that was her intention, she single handedly succeeded. _No,_ he thought. _I will have to wait. If she doesn't show up, then I will hunt her down. _Truly, he thought her plan was crazy. But it was so crazy, it might just work.

He wondered about Fayne and all her intentions. He had of course gotten his men to ferret out information about her. He almost didn't agree with the attack, until a trusted member of the SI:7 dug up enough background information on her to prove she wasn't a spy. They were also able to find the notice of her mother's death, and health records that proved she was neither insane or delusional. Varian was not one who was quick to trust someone, especially a member of the Horde, even if she denies she is not one out of her pride.

He thought back to what Asteriel told him about her flight with the blood elf, how she was energetic until she brought up the reason of why she chose to be a warrior. Varian could tell she was not born to be one, and only trained in order to try and gain self worth because deep down, she felt like nothing. Her mother's death haunted her, and she feels guilty that she could not save her.

_She wants to save others from what they cannot save themselves from,_ Varian realized. _Defending the defenceless. _He dug down deeper, trying to find another root for this need she had. What else could possibly be so urgent for her she couldn't wait out a storm without bitching for an hour? Then it hit him like a wall. "Dear lord," he breathed. He had finally stitched it together. It explained why she acted so strange whenever Hellscream's name was brought up, and how she knew so much about his gladiators and how to defeat them. It was true that blood elves did consume some fel magic to keep themselves sane, but it didn't explain how she knew about everything else.

"What did he do to you, Fayne," he whispered.

* * *

Fayne finally saw the little camp through the trees. Her legs and feet were aching, and she would love nothing more than to curl up into a ball and take a long nap. Thankfully, the rain had stopped about an hour ago. She heard the tent open and she saw Varian poke his head out. "How was the swim?" He asked with a more harsh than usual tone. Fayne snorted and threw the bag at him. He caught it just as she plopped down onto the ground by the now lit campfire.

"Why do you sound so angry, you weren't the one walking to the damn Well of Eternity and back," she finally said after a moment of silence. She rested her elbow on her knee and her head in her hand. Varian threw the bag back at Fayne, but she didn't bother catching it. It hit her in the chest and slumped onto her lap.

"You look tired, and hungry. Did you not eat?" Fayne looked up at him with her eyes only. They were duller than usual, out of exhaustion. It was easy to tell how she was feeling because her eyes seriously _dulled _when she was physically and mentally exhausted, like a flame would as it began dying.

"No. It's hard to eat when you're getting chased by a tribe of feral trolls trying to poke your eyes out with spears," she retorted, closing her eyes. She could fall asleep right then and now, sitting upright.

"That explains the blood then," she heard him say through a mouthful of food as he most likely examined at her sword and shield. "You should eat."

Fayne feebly shook her head. "I lost my appetite. I'm too tired to eat." Wrynn grunted, almost as if he was shocked she declined food.

"At least rest then. You've been out for hours." She snorted again, but refrained from saying anything else. Varian looked her over. She truly looked terrible. She was slumped over, about to fall asleep in a sitting position. Her hair was a mess, and she had obtained a few scratches from whatever happened on her on her little adventure.

He questioned whether he should ask her about what he know knew about her. _I'll let her rest first_, he decided. He tried to tell her to go lay down in the tent. She objected, saying she was comfy, but she finally got up as he was getting ready to stand up and throw her into the tent.

"Yeah yeah, I'm going," she muttered as she walked past him, giving him a little kick in the thigh on her way. He heard her literally drop down inside the tent, as he continued with his thoughts while gazing absentmindedly at the fire.

* * *

Varian was surprised as Fayne crawled out of the tent after merely two hours of sleeping. "I can't sleep," she said as she sat down near him, looking at the fire. She flicked a small stone into it. "Oh?" He questioned

"Uh, yeah... reoccurring nightmares," she said simply. "I just need someone to talk to." Varian looked at her, thinking about what she was.

"I guess I haven't been completely honest about my past," Fayne said, looking at him. He tried searching her eyes, and noticed they were even fainter than before. She gave a small, tired laugh. "Hell, you probably don't even know the half of it."

"I think I do," Varian said. Fayne arched an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" Varian shook his head, and rubbed his hand across his face. "What the hell did he do to you, Fayne?" She gave him a bitter smile.

"Lots of things," she finally whispered, the smile fading as she bit her lip. "Blood elves are effected by fel energy more than any other race, for obvious reasons. He knew I fight viciously, and saw it as an opportunity. So he experimented," she said, looking back to the fire. Varian was silent for a moment.

"Experimented, how?" He finally asked. She clenched her jaw tightly. "He raped me," she said simply. Varian shot upright.

"He-"

"Yes, he fucking raped me. I don't need you repeating it for me," she yelled, calming down again and staring back into the fire. "After he was... done, he'd give me fel energy, to piss me off even more. He had what we called the 'death pit'. After we were all high off of the stuff, he'd send us in. He noted I 'performed better after _sex_'," she spat the last word, "and made sure to tell everyone. I was the only female. Everyone made sexual advances. Do you remember how I said someone slapped my ass?" She looked at him with a cold gaze.

"Yes," Varian said sternly.

"I killed him," she said. "I thought maybe it would be a one time thing, but I was sorely mistaken. Hellscream kept it up, and soon others did too. I-I killed a lot of them when I was in felrage," she whispered. "And that's exactly what he wanted."

Fayne tried to read his face. It was as if a tornado swept across it and scattered a bunch of emotions around. "W-wrynn?" She asked quietly.

"Why are you scared of him," he stated, his tone angry. She knew he wasn't angry at her.

"Why shouldn't I be?" She answered back, her voice shaking in fear. His eyes searched hers.

"Fayne," he said. "You have all the right to be pissed off at him, to wish death on him. But you have no right to feel scared of him. What he did to you is sick, twisted and-" he stopped as if to search for another word. "You aren't going to be doing this alone. You have an entire army behind you. You have Asteriel, you have Pathin, Fabren and everyone else who volunteered. You have me," he said with emphasis, pointing to his chest.

Then she thought about letting the Alliance down again if her plan failed. Fayne looked at him, her face still slightly twisted with fear.

"So now you know," she whispered. "Even I can break." She stood up, getting ready to leave. To walk away from her fears, her thoughts, everything. She felt his hand grab her wrist tightly. She stopped, and turned her head to look at him. She told herself she wouldn't cry in front of him, but she couldn't hold it in.

Varian turned her around completely, and embraced her tightly. She hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. She stood there, spasms rocketing through her as she cried, in the arms of the man who was supposed to be her sworn enemy. Deep down, she was surprised by his action. She closed her eyes tightly and pressed up closer to him, yearning for the warmth and compassion of another person. She hadn't done something like this since the night her mother died. She went nearly 20 years without hugging someone, she realized. He heard her sniffle pitifully, and hugged her tighter. He rested his head on the top of hers, careful not to crush her ears.

He didn't know why he hugged her, but all he knew was that they both truly needed it.


	8. Chapter 7

"This place looks like a mess," Fayne stated as she observed Booty Bay. A tidal wave had struck the small goblin port as Deathwing ensued his legendary destruction over Azeroth, breaking some of the wooden supports and wrecking the decks. A bit of the wreckage still floated in the water, as it was caught in washed-up nets and dead seaweed. They had finally landed in Booty Bay after a quite uneventful flight. Everything had become a bit weird after their hug. But in return, they had become closer.

"Are you just seeing this for the first time? I thought you came this way," Varian said from behind her. She turned around.

"I took the zeppelin. The last time I was here, was when I was adventuring around a few years back." Fayne handed Tanis' reins over to the goblin stablekeeper, who looked between Fayne and Varian with quizzical glances. They both caught it. As the stablekeeper tried to pull Tanis away, Fayne's eye darted over to Varian's.

"What do we say?" She whispered, casting an anxious gaze to the goblin.

"If he's smart enough, he won't question us. But if he does, I'll handle it." They watched in silence as the goblin attempted to yank Tanis to one of the largest stalls. He was tiny compared to the giant dragon, his strength nothing compared to hers. The goblin underestimated just that, and found himself catapulting into the water below as Tanis shook her head.

Fayne clasped her hand around her mouth, unsuccessfully stifling a laugh. She nearly bowled herself over as her laughs racked through her. Fayne strafed to the right as she tried to regain her balance, smashed into Varian in the process. In return, she received a whack to the back of the head. Still laughing, she lightly shoved Varian. Fayne staggered over to the nearest wall, leaning her back on it in support. She let out quick, shaky breaths as she tried to calm herself down.

While composing herself, the goblin had stomped back up to the stables. A large puddle had developed below him. Fayne finally looked up, and when she saw the goblin, she lost it again. "I-I'm, so-o sor-sorry!" She said between laughs. Varian grabbed Tanis' reins as well as his gryphon's, and swiftly tied them up in the stalls. He walked passed the goblin, forcefully grasping Fayne's elbow and directing her down the ramp.

"Fayne," Varian growled. "Do you possess even a pinch of self-control?" Fayne had finally stopped laughing, but her breathing was still irregular.

"I'm a warrior, of course I do," she said proudly, straightening herself and sticking her head up to the clouds. Varian looked over to her, shaking his head in disbelief. He had trusted a child in a woman's body to lead an army of his men into what would surely be their deaths.

"What's the plan?" Fayne asked suddenly.

"I thought you already had your 'ingenious, infallible plan' all thought out. Why are you asking me?" Fayne looked at him with a small frown.

"No, what I meant was, how are we going to get rooms for the night? Is the King of Stormwind just going to waltz in and demand two rooms? I was thinking it would just be easier if I go." Varian simply shrugged. Fayne took the gesture as an agreement, and quickly walked off into the tavern. She was met with the sounds of clanking mugs, drunken laughter, and terrible music.

Fayne silently inched through the mass of drunken adventurers, bumping into a night elf woman who was dancing in her undergarments. "I apologize," she said quickly, shouldering past a pair of even more uncovered, dancing dwarves.

"No pr'blem, sweetheart!" She finally reached the counter, sitting down on a bar stool. The plate clanked against the wood.

She looked at the back of man, who appeared to be drying off a mug with a cloth. He hadn't turned around, but asked, "What can I get ya?" Fayne gave a snort instead of a response. The man finally turned around and nearly dropped the mug. There would have been a long silence if the tavern wasn't so loud. The man simply stared as Fayne adjusted herself on the stool.

"If I stare long enough, I see an older version o' Faynestra Brightrin." Fayne gave a small, fake smile.

"William," she said, stretching out an arm. The man took it, shook it, but didn't let go until Fayne looked down at her hand with an almost confused look. As soon as her hand was free, she quickly retracted it and set it on her lap.

Fayne looked down at the counter, tracing old scratches in the wood with her eyes. "Listen, I need two rooms," she said quietly. William leaned forward, onto the counter.

"We only got one left. 'Whole bunch o' Alliance filled 'em all. Although... I do got extra room in my bed..." Fayne glared at William, her hand twitching in her lap as she held back the urge to slap him.

"The one room will do," she hissed, throwing a few gold coins onto the counter.

William turned around and retrieved a lone key off of a wall. He placed it on the table, looking up at Fayne. She was seething as she snatched the key up. "Fayne, c'mon, lighten up. What happened to you?" Fayne's grip on the key tightened. _The nerve he has after all these years!_

"I grew up," she snapped. The room suddenly went quite as everyone looked towards the sudden commotion.

"Aye, looks like the wee lassy wants'ta fight the barkeeper," one of the naked dwarves whispered to his dance partner. The other snickered.

"Grew up, into what? A lonely, bitter woman?" William scoffed. He pressed further. "The Fayne I knew wouldn't say no to anyone, especially not me." The sound of metal sliding on metal seemed almost deafening. William found himself with a rather sharp sword pointed to his neck.

"I was 15, William. And you took advantage of me. I was stupid enough to forgive you. After all this time, I would have thought you'd keep your mouth shut," Fayne hissed. William choked on his laughter.

"15 is old enough to know what was going to happen," he winced as the cold blade of the sword pressed against his flesh. "So what, you run away from me. Go slay a dragon, so I hear. Trying to follow in your sisters' footsteps, eh? You are always trying to out do them, because you know you're worthless!"

Fayne's sword scratched against plate as a woman barrelled into William, knocking him down.

"Enough!" She shouted, her banshee-like voice echoing throughout the room. Fayne dropped her sword in surprise, staggering backwards. The death knight presumably kicked William. "Don't speak to my sister like that, you filthy rat."

* * *

After a quick reconciliation of sorts, Fayne grabbed the death knight and dragged her outside of the tavern. The death knight was a lot taller than Fayne, as well as older, and more experienced. After the menacing Lich King had raised her from death, a lot of things changed about her. Her skin was a sickly white, branding her with death. She had hair as black as night, and only a few knew of it's original colour. Her eyes glowed an icy blue rather than green, and her once mesmerizing voice was now hollow and echoed.

"Fayne... there have been rumours going around that someone in the Horde has been plotting Hellscream's death." Fayne stopped, a chill running down her spine. She turned around to look into the death knight's narrowed eyes.

"Really?" Fayne asked, nonchalantly. She wanted to see just how much her sister knew about her situation. She was unsure about what the death knight would do; even though they were related, if she was loyal enough to the Horde she could possibly rat her out. When the orcs attacked their town, the death knight had acted as a caretaker after their mother died. Because of this, she temporarily halted her paladin training.

Although, she had been so badly injured she couldn't even remember her own name. After she recovered, Fayne was old enough to take care of herself and their youngest sister, Corriana, alone. So, the paladin left home after being called forth to battle the Scourge in Northrend. She was slain and resurrected by Arthas, twisted formed into an undead warrior.

When she never returned home, they had all feared the worst. But one night, a knock sounded on the door. And there she stood, they all knew it was her. She still looked the same, even through death.

A voice had caused Fayne to snap out of her thoughts. "Fayne. I'm not stupid." Fayne bit her lip, and fumbled with the hilt of her sword as she thought again.

"How much do they know, Raelynar?" She finally asked. Raelynar sighed.

"Not much. They don't even have a grip on the race. Some say it's a Tauren druid, some say it's a Troll warlock. What the hell are you thinking! I know he's done disgusting things to you, but-" Fayne hissed at Raelynar to quite down.

"I have my reasons."

Rae sighed again. "Is it because of mother? I'm sorry, but you have to _let it go_. We all suffered because of the attack. Nothing anyone can do will bring her back." Fayne had begun to walk away. She felt Rae grab her and tug her back."Look, I know you want to avenge her death. That's fine. But isn't this too extreme, even for you?"

Fayne's jaw tightened. "Rae."

"Yes?"

"I'm doing this because I want to join the Alliance."

Rae let out a sharp whistle. "You know what? I support your decision. I have to, don't I? You can count me in. But I am not joining them for good, do you understand?" Fayne nodded, and hugged the taller elf. Rae hugged her back, shocked. "Fayne... y-you hugged someone!"

"You're not the first..." she whispered back.

* * *

Varian stood outside the tavern, waiting impatiently. The sun had set while he was waiting, and he was standing in complete darkness. He wanted to run inside when he heard Fayne shouting, but knew better than to interfere so foolishly. For some reason, he was enraged when the unseen man had begun degrading Fayne. He wanted to know what had happened all those years ago. Varian found himself pacing back and forth, hand on his chin.

He looked up when he heard the sound of whispering women coming from around the corner of the tavern. "He's not going to kill me, correct?" He heard the familiar sound of Fayne scoffing.

"Of course not." He tried squinting in the darkness in order to make out their figures, but failed miserably. Instead, Varian felt a small hand wrap around his wrist that guided him forward.

"They only had one room," he heard Fayne whisper. "Rae, look for room 28." Varian's blasted human eyes still had not completely been able to adjust to the darkness. All he could see was the faint glowing of Fayne's green eyes beside him and a pair of bright blue glowing eyes beside Fayne. He could though, see the outlines of their faces due to the glow.

"I think this is it," an eerie voice whispered as they finally came to a stop. Fayne let go of Varian's wrist, and he heard her insert the key in the lock. The bolt inside clicked and the other elf slowly opened the wooden door, stepping inside. The floorboards creaked loudly as plate met wood. Fayne patted Varian's arm as she followed. He peered into the room, seeing absolutely nothing.

Finally, the other elf had lit a candle, and a tiny stream of light spilled through the door. Varian could make out the shape of a tall, slender blood elf in what looked like saronite plate gear. _Death knight_, he realized. The elf began lighting the other candles in the room as well, as Fayne placed the key to the room on a table along with her biggest backpack.

Varian closed the door behind him, locking it as well. He watched as Fayne began unpacking the leftover food and placing it on the table. The death knight was closing drapes over the few small windows. "Are you going to introduce your friend?" Varian finally asked. Fayne almost jumped as his loud voice surprised her. Raelynar had turned around, facing Varian.

"Uh, this is my sister, Raelynar," Fayne said, motioning to the death knight. "And this is Varian Wrynn, of course." Varian rubbed his face as he took the new information in. Her birth records never stated siblings, and the two looked nothing alike.

"Long-lost sister," Raelynar said as she noticed Varian's surprised look.

"Any others?" He almost growled. Fayne tried to interrupt what the other elf was going to say, but failed.

"Just one more," Rae sighed. "She's just not... close to us. The complete opposite, actually. _Polar_ opposites." She ducted as Fayne threw her shield at her.

"Polar opposites isn't even close to what she is," Fayne snapped. She grumbled something that Varian didn't catch, but Raelynar seemed to. In response, she walked over to her sister and yelled at her in another language. "No! I never will!" Fayne yelled back. The death knight smacked her head, while Fayne unsheathed her sword. Raelynar snorted, and continued talking. "Alright. Let's go then," she said as she walked over to pick up her shield.

Varian stood, watching as Raelynar crafted a makeshift duel flag out of a piece of linen and an old skinning dagger. She swiftly knotted the fabric around the handle and walked past Varian with a stern look on her face. Fayne was already waiting outside, her shield strapped around her left arm and her sword in her right hand. Varian followed Raelynar out, and shut the door.

Raelynar yanked her sword out of the sheath around her hip; it was a beautifully crafted Runesword. It pulsed an icy blue that perfectly matched her eyes. She stabbed the duel flag into the wooden boards and started stating the rules. "The object of the duel is to get your opponent's health as low as possible without killing them, or to make them surrender. No cheap shots, no running away, no _bombs_," she said, giving Fayne a hard glare.

Fayne sighed and removed something from a pocket on her legplates, throwing it into the water below. There was a muffled explosion as the bomb detonated, and the sound of water splashing. "Count down from three," Fayne growled to Varian. He complied as both women took their readied stances.

"3... 2... 1."

As Raelynar was about to pull Fayne towards her by channelling unholy energy, Fayne countered it by charging towards her and slamming her shield into her. The shrieking of metal on wood sounded as Raelynar slid backwards and Fayne forwards. Raelynar slashed at Fayne, the blade piercing her cheek, blood splattering into the air. It seemed to draw to the death knight like a magnet. Varian watched as she replenished herself with her opponent's own blood.

Fayne growled, stomping her foot on the ground. The floorboards splintered and a shock wave emitted towards Raelynar. The death knight wavered under the attack as the boardwalk shook, and Fayne quickly kicked the sword out of Rae's hand. It clanked and rolled down the nearby ramp. The death knight cursed in a different tongue as the warrior now had the upper hand. Instead, she chanted a few words. A silver orb of energy seemed to be wretched towards Raelynar, as it twisted and shifted into a rotting corpse. She had captured a wandering soul and corrupted it into a ghoul.

The ghoul leaped onto Fayne, knocking her to the ground as it slashed at her face with it's bony, claw-like fingers. Raelynar ran to retrieve her sword, while Fayne let out blood-curdling screams as her face was torn apart by the abomination. Varian had seen enough; he unsheathed his sword and slashed the ghoul until it was merely a pile of bones. Fayne covered her face with her hands, trembling as Varian gently picked her up off the ground and placed her back on her feet.

"Let me have a look," he murmured. Fayne violently shook her head and kept her hands on her face.

"What's wrong?" Raelynar asked as she reached them.

"Your damn ghoul slashed her face up!" Varian shouted back. Rae sighed and yanked Fayne's hands away from her face so she could see how bad it was. She let out a small whistle as she examined the damage. Blood dripped down her chin. The death knight couldn't tell where she was injured from all the blood.

Rae lightly dragged Fayne back into the room and got her to sit down on a wobbly chair. She wet a piece of linen with water from one of the pouches and gently rubbed Fayne's face. She hissed in response, but Rae kept her still. "The less you flail around, the less it will sting," she said simply. "Don't lecture me Rae, this is all your fault," Fayne snapped back.

"Oh, just shut the hell up Fayne. You were the one who agreed to the duel."

"You're an idiot, Rae. Stop touching me, don't you think you've done enough already?"

"For fuck's sake Faynestra, grow up why don't you!"

"I will after you do, Raelynar!"

"I give up. You are absolutely ridiculous. Do it yourself then!" Raelynar shoved the piece of cloth into Fayne's hand and left the room. She slammed the door so hard the entire boardwalk and all the buildings on it rocked. Fayne sighed loudly and slumped in the chair, covering her face in the inside of her elbow.

"How bad do I look?" She asked weakly, voice muffled by the plate. Varian walked over and sat down on the table in front of Fayne. He gently removed her arm and looked at her face. There were deep claw marks that stretched from the top of her left eye down to her chin, along with deep gashes along her neck that went down her chest. Her chest-piece had also been torn where the ghoul had slashed it. There was also another gash on her right cheek where Raelynar had cut her with her sword.

"Well..." Varian couldn't find the right sentence that wasn't insulting. "You look worse than I do," he finally said, settling with the truth. Fayne slumped forwards, resting her head on her knees.

"Great! Now I look like a man!" She uttered, trying not to cry. Varian patted the top of her head gently, petting her. They sat in silence, Varian petting her head while Fayne sniffed every once in a while. She finally sat upright, her face sorrowful.

"Do I look ugly?" She whispered. Varian shook his head, rubbing a hand on his face. He was tired. "No, you just look more dangerous." Fayne touched her hand back to her face. "It hurts," she whined, searching her bag for something. She grabbed a small container and twisted the top off. Fayne also removed her gloves, sticking her hand into the container and smearing the gel-like substance on her face. She cursed loudly and repeatedly as she rubbed it into her wounds.

Fayne reached behind her and unclasped her chest-piece, letting it fall to the floor loudly. She continued to smear the contents of the container onto her neck and down her chest. "That damn thing even slashed my breasts!" She cried, untying and pulling the leather away from her skin to examine the long trail of cuts. Raelynar had not been able to wash past her neck, and the cuts on her chest still bled.

Fayne grabbed the cloth she had discarded onto the table earlier and cleaned the rest of her wounds. When Varian finally looked up, he was shocked to see Fayne sitting with her stomach and breasts exposed. "What the hell are you doing?" She looked up at him, pausing from her vigorous disinfecting.

"I'm cleaning my wounds, what does it look like I'm doing?" She replied back, giving him a slight glare. She continued washing the deep cuts before applying the rest of the gel onto them. "Oh, ff-" she nearly cursed, shutting her eyes and screwing her face up in pain. She bit her lip until blood trickled down her chin. She suddenly stood up, knocking the chair back when the back of her knees hit it. Her breasts were now levelled with his face.

"By the gods, put a shirt on woman," he growled. He resisted the urge to grab her nice, soft breasts and lick the remaining blood off of them. She had defined stomach muscles that most blood elf women would not have. They put even orc women to shame. Fayne scoffed and looked for the leather shirt. She threw her pauldrons off, finding the shirt and tying it back together. She casually undressed further, pulling off her boots and leg plates. Finally, Fayne stood facing a window in all her womanly glory. Varian took the time to rake his eyes up and down her body, which he finally got the chance to look at it entirely.

Her hair was let down once more, stained with her own blood. It reached just past her shoulder, and fell over her chest. As she stood, slightly turned away from him, he noticed her jaw was no longer tightened like it usually was, and her head was not raised up. She had a small nose, a beautiful facial structure. He wondered how she could think anyone would call her manly, even now with her wounds. Varian saw now that both of her ears were ripped but covered with a bunch of piercings.

He once more examined her face closely, this time taking it into account with her gashes. Her eyes still glowed fainter than they should have, the left swollen due to the claw marks. Four parallel lines permanently scarred her face, travelling from above her long eyebrow down to her small chin. From the angle she was standing at, he couldn't see the right side of her face and the other cut.

His eyes moved down to her neck, one of the injuries still bleeding. He traced the curves of her collarbone before continuing on his path. Her breasts weren't overly big, perhaps larger than the average blood elf's, but were a fair size nonetheless. They rose and fell softly as she breathed. Varian then looked at her toned arms and small hands, which once again were placed on her hips. He again looked at her abdominal muscles, which were clearly visible due to the leather shirt ending above her belly button. Varian was finally able to see the tattoo Asteriel was looking at a few days prior. It was a black dragon, the head near her belly button. It curved and slithered down her hipbone, and the bottom disappeared into her leather pants.

She was more pear-shaped than anything, which was almost abnormal for blood elves. Her wide, full hips tapered down into long legs. He gazed once more at her backside, which looked even nicer when she stood. Varian took into note her small feet, which seemed too delicate to be able to carry all the weight of her armour. He wondered how something her size could fight so viciously. Fayne finally noticed he was staring. He had placed his eyes on her ass absentmindedly while he thought. She let out a small cough which forced him to lock eyes with her.

She said nothing, not minding the attention she normally never received. He raised an eyebrow, giving her a questioning look as most women would slap a man and call him a disgusting pig for staring. Fayne shrugged, crossing her arms around her chest and shifting her weight to her other leg. "Blood elven men don't find my body as appealing as you seem to do." Varian let out a small growl, finding it hard to believe how anyone could not find the elf standing in front of him attractive.

"They must be mad," he said. Fayne rolled her eyes, sighing.

"I don't even care. All they want is skin and bones, and I certainly do not want to be that. Walking skeletons, is what they all look like." Varian grunted.

"I can imagine." Fayne went silent, before finally noticing how late it was. "We should probably get some rest. The boat arrives early in the morning." Fayne looked at the one lone bed, then back at Varian.

"You can take the bed, I'll take the floor." Varian objected, reminding her that she was the injured one.

"I'm not taking the bed. You might as well, or else it's going to go to waste." Fayne gave him a glare before finally plopping down onto the soft bed. Varian removed his armour, but kept his sword by his side. He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. He felt something soft hit him in the face, and heard Fayne kick the blanket off of herself and onto him. He opened his eyes and lifted the pillow of of his face, placing it under himself.

* * *

Varian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The floorboards creaked loudly every time he did, and heard Fayne grumble something. He opened his eyes as he listened to her shift in the bed, over to the edge. "Would you like to share?" She asked, patting the bed. He was unsure what to do, but the pain in his back finally won over and he got up. He stumbled around in the darkness before finally Fayne grabbed his hand and pulled him towards herself. He climbed in as she moved out of the way to make room for him.

_Finally_, he thought. _I can sleep. _Varian heard Fayne sigh, frustrated. "What's wrong?" He asked, yawning.

"Oh you know, just thinking about how we're all going to die in a few days." Varian smacked her before turning around, his back facing her.


	9. Chapter 8

I'm sorry for this extremely short chapter. :c It's a filler for what's to be expected next... yes, shit's gonna go down in the next one. ALSO, I did change a lot in chapters 2-6, and I will be rewriting the prologue soon... so if you want to reread those, go ahead, if not, whatever. It's not mandatory, it's just to make the story a bit easier to understand for new readers. Anyways, enjoy I guess! I wanted to have at least a chapter on what's going on in Orgrimmar during all these events.

* * *

"Oh Fayne, you've really outdone yourself this time!" A voice that sounded like jingling bells said as a hand crumpled up a scroll. She threw her arms in the air, the ball of paper landing by her feet, before crossing them behind her head. She leaned back in the chair, tipping it back until the front two legs were no longer on the ground. Her dear older sister was a real thrill seeker... planning an attack on Orgrimmar, with the leader of the Alliance by her side? Of course she had known who it was all along; her sister was truly the most predictable person she'd ever met. Every time she was cornered, her face would contort to that of a child when they were seen with their hand in the cookie jar.

She had kept her mouth shut about her knowledge of the situation. What fun would it be to see her sister dead before she could even try laying a hand on the war chief? If she wanted a fight, a fight she would get. Fayne was an eccentric being; maybe an agonizing death from Hellscream himself would finally snap her out of the shield her ego had created. "Fayne, Fayne, Fayne..." she whispered.

Fayne was not subtle about her plans when she wrote to her friend either. Thaintae was more than willing to pass up the letter, considering she had perished in war more than 4 years ago.

"Corriana!" The blood elf in question snapped out of her daydream, standing up to straighten her mail tunic as she faced the voice.

"Yes, war chief?" She asked innocently, lightly kicking the crumbled up ball of paper under her seat and out of prying eyes.

"I want you to investigate," Garrosh Hellscream thundered. _Maybe I should play dumb? _

"Investigate what, sir?" Corriana gave him an innocent look, blinking her big doe eyes at him.

"Don't play stupid, girl. It does not suite you well," Garrosh snapped at her, glaring. Corriana rolled her eyes.

"I don't have any information about your planned assassination. I don't even know what race the culprit is," she shrugged lightly and whistled to her wolf. The beast lifted its head and sat up, its head cocked to the side. Corriana shoved past Garrosh, only to be stopped.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out. You told me to investigate," she said, a frown on her lips. Garrosh snarled, showing teeth that could easily rip her throat out.

"Don't look so surprised Hellscream, you told me not to play stupid with you," she attempted to remove his massive arm out of her way, only to fail miserably. "The Hold, _now_."

Corriana gave a loud, exasperated sigh as she trudged after the giant orc, a grimace on her youthful face. He always treated her like a dimwitted child. She blew a few strands of hair out of her eyes, returning back to her usual grimace. It was believed she was possibly the only blood elf to ever have freckles adorn her face, which caused suspicion as to whether she was possibly part human. She nearly snorted at the thought, instead making a strange gargling noise. No noise to ever escape her lips went unnoticed around Hellscream's presence. He turned his humorously small head to her, an unimpressed expression on his face.

"I swallowed a bug," she said simply. He raised an eyebrow before turning his head back to the front. Corriana rolled her eyes. She still found it hard to believe a being this stupid managed to snake his way through the Horde's hierarchy with little difficulty... of course she managed to do the exact same, but her intelligence to the world around her was far superior to his. _As soon as this baboon is out of the picture... I will strike,_ Corriana decided.

As they continued their slow pace to the large building situated in the front of Orgimmar, her thoughts drifted back to Fayne and her plan. She gave her a bit of credit; she managed to convince _Varian Wrynn_ to help _her_. A _blood elf_. A _member of the Horde_, for crying out loud, which made her wonder whether she slept with him or not. Her hand wormed out by her side, resting on the top of the sleek wolf's head.

_They'll be here before the sun rises, _she thought. She had no doubt Fayne would use her knowledge of the city and the secrets beneath it to tunnel right to the heart of it with no difficulties. The gears in Corriana's head spun and whirled, a sly smile finally spreading on her face. "What's so amusing?" Hellscream bellowed beside her. Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing as her glowing green ones met his brown ones.

"None of your business," she snapped, looking away from him.

"I believe it actually is," he growled darkly, and so quietly she nearly didn't hear him. She let out a cold, humourless laugh, a silent warning for him to drop it. She knew poisons that could make him drop dead in a matter of minutes, maybe even less considering there was no one around to help him. Or she could have a little fun... inject him with a poisoned blade that took days, if not weeks, to kill him agonizingly painfully, all the while making him beg for the antidote only she knew of.

"Do you find humour in everything?" Her eyebrows shot up at his unexpected question. She put a finger to her lip, a mock look of thought on her face.

"Just the things that end in pain and death," Corriana said remorselessnessly. The was no room for sympathy in war. It took two ends to tie together the broken bond that is the Alliance and the Horde, therefore none shall be pitied. Again her mind raced to her sister; was she joining the Alliance then? She'd enjoy seeing her in battle...

Corriana shoved past the elite members of Hellscream's guards as the entered the Hold. They gave awkward bows to the war chief as he passed by, there stares cold when they spotted the petite blond huntress. She gave them a mock salute, finally stepping into the main room of the Hold. She watched Garrosh lumber to the table piled high with maps and various attack plans. She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What do you want?" Corriana finally asked suspiciously. He looked at her, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together in the are.

"Now now, that's no way to speak to your leader, little girl," he replied, eyes narrowing. Corriana scoffed, putting a hand on her heart.

"Little girl? Oh, you've really broken me with that one!" She pushed herself of the wall, stalking towards the table like a predator going for the kill.

"You may think you're something real special because of that title you carry on your shoulders, but just remember, I don't regard you as anything above a peon," she growled as she slammed her fists down on the table, leaning forward until her face was inches from the orc's.

"Now, _Garrosh_, I'd like to know what you brought me _all_ the way across the city for," her pupils narrowed to slits as his nostrils flared angrily. His teeth clenched together, and it occurred to her he might finally kill her for that one.

"I was considering placing you up a rank in my government, but for that little outburst, forget it!" To her amusement, his eye twitched and his voice nearly cracked at the end of his announcement. Corriana shrugged, leaning away from him.

"I am _so_ disappointed," she uttered sarcastically, turning around to leave.

"I do hope you refrain from doing that again, or you'll be severely punished." She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Or what? Are you going to rape me like you did my sister? Maybe get some tainted fel energy into my blood stream?" Garrosh laughed heartily.

"Fayne is a traitor," he said simply, leaning back in his chair.

"No, Garrosh, she _wasn't_. You drove her to it. I can't say I blame her for doing what she's about to. I'm quite proud." Corriana mentally slapped herself, but the look in the leader's eyes made up for it. _Yeah, that's right, I know something you don't, and I'll be dead before I give you the satisfaction of my knowledge, _she thought to herself as she gave him a smug look.

Fayne did practically raise her since a young age, their eldest sibling running off to stupidly be slain by Arthas instead of being handed the responsibility of raising children. She may have a small hatred burning for Fayne, but she despised Raelynar with every blood cell that pumped out of her heart. How dare she abandon them instead of owning up and taking head of the household after their mother's death? Corriana's lip twitched in anger as she began walking again.

Garrosh slammed his fists into the table, wooden splinters cascading into the air. He let out an almost feral growl, his eyes burning holes into her back as she exited the Hold.

"Looks like Fayne did get my message," he rumbled to himself, pulling a quill and a piece of paper towards himself.


	10. Chapter 9

The vessel lurched forward, wrenching Fayne out of her nearly peaceful rest and hammock. The small collection of Alliance had been stuck on the goblin ship for nearly two weeks, spurring the blood elf's anxiety critically close to insanity. Sighing, she collected herself from the dusty floorboards and headed towards the door that lead to fresh air. Instead, she was greeted by rain that poured down heavily from the angry storm clouds.

"Fantastic," she muttered to herself, taking the small step out of the dry sanctuary. Nearly instantly, her hair was drenched and her tattered leather armour was heavy with water. The dining room was only across the deck. Fayne quickened her pace, her empty stomach growling pitifully. It seemed like a simple task, until the boat heaved forward once again, sending her crashing into the wooden steps. She rubbed her head where a bump was sure to bloom in a few minutes. Vision hazed and distorted, she crashed into what felt like a brick wall.

"Whoa, there," the wall said, and Fayne giggled. A talking wall was hilarious. She looked up through squinted eyes and gasped.

"You're not a wall!" She squeaked, scrambling out of the human's arms and falling to the ground on her hands and knees. Her brain didn't even register the pain in her current condition. Quickly, she scurried to the nearest cover, which happened to be behind a large crate. She hid behind it, pulling her knees up to her chest, and rocked back and forth. She heard loud footsteps clank against the wood. Fayne gasped once more, attempting to shape her form into a smaller one as she sank against the crate.

The human appeared again, amused. "Are you drunk?" He asked casually, sitting down in front of her. Fayne shook her head, the motion making her even dizzier. She began falling to the right, but the paladin caught her. He waited until she was steady once more before removing his arms from her. She squinted at him then, finally examining him. He looked extremely young, too young to be here. His armour was pretty nice, considering his age. Maybe he was a prodigy. He noticed she was checking him out, and whipped the blonde strands of hair out of his eyes with a quick flick of his head. At that moment, Fayne glanced back at his face and blushed.

"S-sorry," she murmured, looking down at the ground. He laughed, which caused her to blush harder. It was a nice noise, and a noise she barely got to hear now. Everyone was so serious about everything. There was no time to laugh in a war. The minutes spent giggling could be the minutes were you ended your enemy's life. _But who are my enemies_? Fayne thought to herself, eyes glued to the floor.

"You took a pretty nasty fall back there... do you need a medic?" The boy's voice snapped Fayne out of her thoughts as she looked back up at him. He had a grin plastered on his face, one she would have returned if she wasn't so deep in thought.

"Uh... no. No, I'm fine," she stated, attempting to stand up. She was drenched and freezing, the cold air sending her hair flying in various directions. She swatted his hands away as he tried helping her up. Before she could fall again, she latched onto the crate and gave a victorious smile. "See? Told you."

The boy put his hands up in a mock defensive pose. "Alright. Just... if you start feeling sick, just ask around for me. The name's Hawkings, by the way. Just give a shout and I'll be there," he said, turning and walking away. Fayne stood with her mouth gaped open. The paladin never let her finish speaking. Sighing, she walked to the dining hall on shaky legs, her head thudding.

* * *

"Are you... serious?" Fayne gasped, squinting her eyes in order to make out the outline of what could only be shore, eons away. She closed her mouth and turned to face the gathered group. She could have said that everyone was thrilled to go for a leisurely swim, but that would have been a lie. It was a wise decision none the less, but a set back for adventurers who already had their nerves knotted and slashed to bits from the trip across the Great Sea. Fayne sighed, trudging over to the side of the ship where Varian stood.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say there is no way I'm making it to shore alive if I have to swim the entire way," she sputtered out quickly. Unknown to nearly every person she had ever met in her life, she was deathly afraid of water. Her eyes had been tightly shut the entire boat ride, hands wrapped around herself tightly. She peered over Varian's shoulder, quickly snapping back to her original position after viewing the churning black water.

"Fayne, it's just water," Varian reasoned, crossing his arms. Fayne's eyes widened. How could he be so clueless to the horrors water hides at the bottom?

"I'm pretty sure there are sharks," she said matter-of-factly, tilting her head up an inch. A snort sounded from behind them. Fayne turned her head back, meeting eyes with Asteriel.

"Don't worry, there are no large, murderous aquatic lifeforms in these parts, according to Brann Bronzebeard's _Lands of Mystery. _The biggest thing you'll find here are Longjaw Mud Snappers. If you're worried about sharks, I wouldn't suggest going for a swim in say, Vashj'ir, or surrounding waters around Elwynn-" Fayne groaned loudly.

"Alright, alright! I don't need a lecture! Let's just _go_," she growled. Asteriel simply gave her a beaming smile before jumping into the water. Defeated, Fayne sighed and followed.

* * *

"I am never doing this again, understand? Never!" The blood elf sloshed loudly through the shallow waters, shoulders hunched and a frown on her face.

"Don't do that," Asteriel laughed, "You'll get frown lines." Fayne rolled her eyes, saying nothing and instead gazing up at the orange mountains in front of them.

"There's no time to rest," she commented, looking at Varian. He shrugged and pointed towards the shore, giving her the command to lead the way. _Where have I seen this before? Oh right, a few days ago in Stranglethorn Vale_, Fayne thought bitterly as she imagined herself trudging along the beach, soaked to the bone.

Hours later, Fayne grew annoyed. The night elf behind her had not stopped for a single breath, and jumped from topics like politics, to food, and then back to more 'recent' events.

"It would have been wise to coat mail and plate armor in fish oil in order to keep them from rusting," she heard Asteriel chirp behind her. To her dismay, Varian grunted in response, sending the priestess into a ramble about everything she had ever read about. "To my knowledge, fish oil carried by marsh murlocs would be the best due to their very basic pH levels. It helps neutralize the acidic water we just swam through. Then again, naga also carry very large quantities of fish oil for the same reason we would require them. When I was helping down in Vashj'ir, I ended up getting a good number of their vials. It would have been more efficient if I wasn't dressed in nothing but cloth-"

Fayne stopped and spun around. "Can you be quiet!?" She shrieked, eyes wide in anger. "If you haven't noticed, we are merely _yards_ away from Orgrimmar!" Asteriel was left with her mouth open and one hand still raised in exclamation, dumbfounded. Varian's eyes widened in surprise, and the entire group of Alliance had stopped in their tracks to stare. Fayne breathed heavily before turning back around and continuing. To her relief, the priestess' mindless chattering had ceased.

The group began walking closer toward the mountains as Fayne searched for what she was looking for. Her hands absentmindedly traced the bumpy surface of the walls before she halted suddenly, causing the tight line of volunteers behind her to walk into each other. Fayne craned her head up.

"Here we go," she breathed, before removing her hand from the notch and replacing it with her plated foot.

She began to ascend the mountain side, using the nearly invisible holes that lead to one of Orgrimmar's biggest and darkest secrets: the tunnels. The climb was long and dangerous, but everyone made it to the hidden ledge alive. From there, they ventured into the pitch black tunnels, which were carved out with thousands of trick exits that would lead adventurers to their deaths. Thankfully, Fayne knew most of the way, and lead the Alliance threw the tunnels in silence. The only noises were that of plate and mail rubbing against stone, cloth and leather scuffling, and the occasional mutter or quiet curse words.

After what seemed like forever, Fayne bumped her head on the ceiling and loudly screamed in surprise. She quickly slapped a plated glove to her mouth as everyone behind her stopped in dead silence. "Sorry," she whispered. "We're on the right track." It was true; in these dark tunnels, the orcs who carved the tunnels had made sure to mark an indication to show those who knew about the tunnels, that this was indeed the right track.

"How much longer do we have to go?" Someone muttered behind her.

"A few hours... we have to crawl now, too," Fayne said, sighing. Everyone groaned.

Just when knees started to ache and hands were going numb, the ceiling rose again enough to let everyone walk upright. A small conversation was being thrown around, but Fayne remained silent. There was no guarantee the tunnels were so secret anymore, especially not now with the rumours of assassination fluttering around the Horde.

"Wait!" Asteriel hissed, silencing the group. "Listen!"

Fayne dropped to the floor quietly. Her blood ran cold at the sound dead ahead of her.


	11. Chapter 10

"Do you... hear that?" Fayne whispered quickly. Her bright eyes darted behind her, barely making out the confused faces of Varian and the volunteers. Long ears perked up, trying in vain to pinpoint the faint sounds. Somewhere behind her, Asteriel gasped. "Are those-"

"Banshees!" Fayne finished, scrambling to her feet. She braced herself against the wall, the others mimicking her. Somewhere towards the end of the tunnel, two ghostly women and a hooded figure emerged. "Sylvanas," Varian growled beside Fayne. With the help of the Banshee Queen's glowing eyes, Fayne managed to catch a glimpse of a smirk. She continued walking, lifting her arms up to give a slow clap.

"Wonderful job, _heroes_," she piped up sarcastically, putting a stop to her clapping. She was a mere feet from the group before coming to a halt.

"Your attack was gravely slow. Ungraceful, really. I expected far more from someone so daunting. I'm glad you could make it, even so." Fayne narrowed her eyes.

"What exactly do you want? Did you have a change of heart and decided to side with Garrosh?" Sylvanas let out a small laugh.

"Side? Do you honestly think I'd pick a _side_ in this waning excuse for a war? No. I have come here simply to enjoy the show," Sylvanas purred. "This battle will be finished before it even starts. I really am disappointed in you, Faynestra," she continued. "Your dear sister told me so much about your plans. I actually thought you could have succeeded! It really is a shame you were so overdue. Don't tell me a little bit of _rain_ sidetracked you so?"

Fayne scoffed. "My sister? She played no part in this. I didn't think she could feed you lies so easily. _I'm _disappointed in _you_." She crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at the undead elf in front of her. She felt Varian tense up beside her, ready to spring at the slightest hint of violence. The Banshee Queen seemed to have caught the tiny movement.

"Relax, dear Wrynn. I am clearly outnumbered. Besides, what fun would it be to slay you all in these unknown tunnels before the performance? It would be _such_ a shame to see all the wasted effort." Sylvanas placed a hand on her slender hip, making no such move to unblock the exit. Fayne paused, letting the information she just received -and the plain obvious- sink into her head.

"How _do_ you know about these tunnels?" Sylvanas gave a sweet smile.

"Ah, how smart of you to notice. Let's just say, I may or may not have coaxed it out of Thrall one evening." Fayne cringed inwardly, suppressing the urge to show her disgust. "Speaking of _orcs_, have you ever slept with one, Faynestra?" Varian was quick to catch her before she could pull every white strand of hair out of Sylvanas' head.

"Sylvanas," Varian growled. It was a small warning to stop whatever mind game she was trying to play. Fayne felt Varian's hands tighten even more on her arms as she thrashed harder.

"You're lucky I'm not alone, or I'd rip your eyes right out of their sockets and feed them to you, undead _bitch_!" Sylvanas threw her head back in a twinkling laugh.

"Charming," she said plainly as she spun around, beckoning her banshee companions to follow. After a few steps she paused and looked back at Varian and Fayne. "I don't wish to sound _rude_, but do hurry." Fayne pushed herself into Varian's side, attempting to remove his steel grasp from her arm. She looked up at him with a scowl, which he returned with his own. "I don't think so," he warned, pushing her forward after Sylvanas.

She stumbled but caught herself, debating whether or not to kick Varian in-between his legs for that one. Gritting her teeth instead, she stomped after the hooded woman, dragging Varian along with her. Her angered breathing was so loud, Asteriel has asked several times if she was alright. She gave a bratty _hmph_ as a response each time.

After nearly an hour and a half of uneventful walking, Sylvanas raised her gloved hand to the low ceiling and ran it across it as she continued walking. Fayne observed, still ticked off at her prior question. Within a few minutes, the ceiling that the Banshee Queen strode under wobbled, causing her to stop in her tracks. She whirled around gracefully before extending her hand straight up. A small stream of light came from above the Forsaken leader, enveloping her in light. Her seemingly purple armour shone a bright red in the true light.

"I hope you're all prepared," she spoke, carefully unclasping her bow from her back before throwing it up through the hole harshly. Fayne didn't bother questioning the strange action. Sylvanas was already hoisting her slender frame up the hole, until only her banshees remained. Varian gave Fayne a slight push, finally removing his hand from her arm. She jumped through the hole before he could change his mind.

"Quiet now, we don't want to alert the authorities," Sylvanas purred in a whisper. Fayne quickly glanced around her surroundings. They were in a dark, empty room.

Sylvanas interrupted her before Fayne could speak, leaving her mouth wide open as Varian and the others piled into the decreasingly small room. "This isn't a room, child. It's a wall which just so happens to be in the middle of the damned Chasm."

"The... Chasm?" Fayne bumbled stupidly, eyes widening. Varian grunted.

"I assume you cleared it out prior to our arrival?" Sylvanas turned her red eyes to him, a smile on her lips.

"Of course not, Wrynn. Why would I do your dirty work? Besides, there's no need to kill when you cannot be seen."

Varian laughed coarsely. "That's a lie and you know it." Sylvanas' smile widened into a surprisingly white grin.

"Of course it is," she said, finally getting up to her feet. Without waiting to see if they were following, she stalked out into the open.

"This place reeks with fel magic," Fayne stated, a sick feeling leeching into her stomach. She gazed down from the ledge, eyeing the strange contraptions and many, many warlocks buzzing around. "Is that the Burning Blade?" She asked, glancing sideways at Sylvanas. The elf simply thinned her lips into a line.

"They prefer to be called the Searing Blade now." Fayne's eyes returned to the orc in the middle of the room, channeling huge streams of tainted magic around.

"He may seem rather powerful, but he's a weakling. It's sad, really. As long as you can push his taunts and commands out of your head, he can't even be considered a challenge." That was all it took for Fayne before she drew her sword and leaped off of the ledge. The orc periodically stopped his channeling a surprised look on his face. It was gone as soon as it appeared, and he quickly launched a bolt of shadows at Fayne's chest. She didn't have time to react or grab her shield from her back. Immediately, voices swamped into her brain, pushing against her will in attempt to break her will. She growled, grabbing a small dagger that was strapped to her thigh.

She didn't even register the others around her, all fighting the voices. The voices were slowly gaining control, and she found herself fighting her own hands as the knife was pressed against her throat. She did, however, become aware of flames lapping around her suddenly. Eyes wide, she snapped out of the curse, feeling her armour become painfully hot against her skin. She wretched her arm away from her throat, and hurled the knife at the warlock. It hit him in the shoulder blade, away from any major arteries. He growled, launching another ball of shadow towards her.

Fayne dropped to the floor just as an arrow whizzed past her ears, landing directly in the space between the orc's eyes. He teetered slowly before falling face first into the dirt where his feet were a moment before. Fayne glanced behind her just as Sylvanas lowered her bow, swatting the shadow bolt with her free hand before it hit her. She gave a curt nod at Fayne before looking at the others. Fayne followed her gaze to where the majority of the group stood scattered, a gnome running around engulfed in flames as a dwarf chased him with a flask of water. Varian tripped the gnome as soon as he was in range, scowling down at the tiny person.

Fayne sighed, collecting herself from the floor. She looked around for her sword, which Sylvanas handed to her. "Thanks," she muttered, sliding it back into the holster at her hip. Neither moved and instead stood side by side, waiting for the rest of the group to collect themselves. Asteriel rummaged through her bags quickly, muttering something about gnomes and how their size must decrease the room in their craniums, thus creating pea-sized brains. Fayne watched impatiently as the priest slathered a very strong smelling ointment onto the gnome, before slapping him harshly into consciousness and picking him off of the ground. If she wasn't in such a foul mood, she may have laughed.

She heard an odd noise coming from her right, and realized it was Sylvanas sighing.

"It's about time. We must hurry, we don't have time to spare dealing with such foolishness." Varian huffed as he reached the two elves, the group quickly catching up. They fought their way through the orcs, troggs and fiery hounds without much difficulty.

"This is by far the most embarrassing excuse for a cult I have ever seen," Sylvanas said in a way that would hint she had indeed, seen a lot in her time.

As they approached the entrance, Fayne stopped. "Who are those people?" She hissed, turning to face Sylvanas. The other elf took a quick glance at the group situated at the entrance of the chasm.

"Kurjack and his squadron of buffoons," she responded dryly. "It will be a shame their poor effort of cleansing this place will all be in vain." Fayne watched with wide eyes as she yanked her bow out and assumed her position. "Sylvanas!" She hissed, knocking the arrow out of her hand. Sylvanas turned to her sharply, fuming with anger.

"And what do you think you're doing, exactly? Do you think if we just stroll past them like this, they'll sit here and pretend nothing happened?" She quickly retrieved her arrow from the ground and shot a Tauren in the throat before Fayne could protest.

That was the moment when panic ensued. The orcs scrambled to the Tauren who was slumped on the ground, frantically trying to yank the arrow out of his throat. A few moments later, the orcs around him all fell to the ground. Once satisfied, Sylvanas replaced her bow onto her back and resumed walking like nothing had happened. She kicked one of the corpses before stepping over them, throwing a glance behind her. Fayne cast a final look at the innocent civilians before continuing on.

"I hate to say it, but Sylvanas was right," Varian said behind Fayne. She slightly flattened her ears in annoyance.

"Yeah I know," she muttered back, following Sylvanas out of the chasm. They paused briefly so the rest of the group could catch up. "Alright, here's what we're going to do," Fayne said, turning to face the crowd. "We're going to sneak our way out of here, but as soon as one of us is spotted, everyone in this room will have to be slaughtered. Understood?" The Alliance troop nodded in unison.

"Great. We're going to head straight out of here. Skirt around the back of any tents you see. It's dark, so less bumping into things and more hiding in shadows. When we make it to the ramp, we're all going to run and take the left path. Wait for the rest of the group if you make it out before us. Do not leave the tunnel until we're all grouped up. As soon as we have collected ourselves, we're going to run quickly and quietly around the side of the building, and behind those tents as well.

"Again, if you're spotted, kill the person immediately. When we get to the last tent, we're all going to regroup again, and then storm the Hold. Protect the healers, and watch your backs. There's no telling what Garrosh will do." Fayne turned to Sylvanas, who nodded. In that instance, she was aware that everything she had said previously was a lie. She wanted Garrosh dead as much as everyone standing there in the heart of Orgrimmar. And for that, Fayne was thankful.

"Move!" She shouted as quietly as she could. She dashed out of the chasm's entrance, sticking to the wall in an attempt to stay hidden in the shadows. Fayne rapidly skirted the wall, quietly moving behind the first tent she saw. From the corner of her eye, she saw Varian right behind her, along with Sylvanas, a line of Alliance warriors, and the two banshees taking up the rear. Feeling confident, she continued forward, nearly knocking over a brazier. Cursing silently, she took a step before halting. She had nearly bumped right into an orc who was busy bustling around, inches from the brazier.

Fayne unsheathed her sword, not caring if it made a loud noise or not, as it was in the orc's neck before he could respond. Placing a foot to his back, she pulled out her sword as the orc crumpled to the floor. Unfazed, Fayne took a small step before stopping again quickly to look behind the he wall that protected them from prying eyes. After seeing the coast was clear, she made a mad dash to the next wall, knees bent low and back as low-lying as she could make it. As soon as she was behind the next tent she saw, she spun around and made a frantic gesture for the rest to hurry. As soon as nearly half of the group was on her side, the current human running to the other side was hit with a turret of arcane magic, and sent crippling to the floor in a series of convulsions.

"Shit," Fayne said through clenched teeth. She motioned for the next person in line to run to get the mage hiding behind the wall Fayne and the others were pressed against.

Luckily, the next in line was a druid. Fayne could barely make out the shape of the cat, who padded silently to the orc mage. It leaped and killed the orc in one swift move before making a beeline for the other side of the wall. Fayne couldn't help but pat the giant feline on the head. The rest of the group made it to their side. Fayne counted them up quickly before decided what to do next.

"Have my back," she said to the group, before taking off her shield and charging up the first ramp.

"Come get the traitor, bastards!" Fayne shouted in Orcish gleefully. Instantly, a group of mages were firing various types of things at her, before giving up and running after her. She ran up the second ramp, and charged at the next group of orcs who were standing around.

Like she asked, the Alliance were fighting at her side, killing whoever tried to join into the attack. The poorer portion of Orgrimmar's citizens, who ended up moving into the Cleft, all raced out of their houses loyally, trying to get a blow at the traitor. A man got Fayne in the thigh with a dagger before getting a boot in the face. Leg stinging, she moved to the next target. After a few minutes, the assault seemed to have stopped. A few injuries and no casualties later, the group was making a mad dash up the last ramp. Taking a sharp left, Fayne literally came face-to-face with a female guard, who clubbed her in the face quickly with a mace. Crying out in pain, Fayne stumbled backwards while the others fought the small group of guards coming to see what was happening in the Cleft.

"Are you alright?" Varian shouted to her, slashing a guard with a sword. Fayne tried to blink to little black dots out of her vision, but only made it worse as blood fell into her eyes and stung. "I'll live," she shouted back. An arrow whirled past her face once again as Sylvanas shot down the guard lunging for Fayne. Before she could thank her, Sylvanas disappeared back into the crowd. Shaking her head like a dog, she stumbled into a paladin and apologized sheepishly. He caught her before she could collapse onto the floor. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, a memory flashing through her head.

"Not this again," she groaned as she realized who it was. The boy gave her another stupid grin as he helped her to her feet. "We gotta stop meeting like this," he agreed.

"Ladies, this isn't the time to gossip!" A voice rang angrily somewhere near them. Noticing she was missing her sword, she swept her eyes along the ground fearfully. "Where's my-" a large hand thrusted her prized blade into her arms before she could finish whining. She looked up and caught Varian's stony expression before he turned his back to her and continued fighting the guards who seemed to pour endlessly into the tunnel. The group was slowly pushing them upwards and out of the tunnel.

"Behind us!" The same angry voice from earlier shouted. Fayne spun around and readied herself as a large figure bowled into her, nearly knocking her over. She whacked the orc in the head with her shield, and desperately tried to shake her leg free as it clung to her thigh.

"How could you betray your own people?" She hissed at Fayne.

"My people? My people were nearly wiped out. And so your Horde welcomed them with open arms, only to get a new ally. I know how you look at us like we're all addicts, yet how much better are all of you?" She didn't wait for an answer before violently shaking the woman off of her, and pushing her into the ground with a foot.

"I'm doing what is right. You can't see what Hellscream is doing to the Horde, to _your_ people. He's making a mockery out of all of you in order to fuel his obsessive need for power. None of you have the will to stop him, so I'm doing it for you. Think of it as a favour." The woman growled under her. Fayne removed her foot from the woman's throat, diving into the crowd of fighting souls, and attacked the closets orc to her. She'd let someone else finish her off.

Spurred on by her rage, she didn't stop until the guards stopped pouring into the tunnel from every direction. She suddenly felt how cramped it was in there, and how close they were to the end.

The end... Or could it be the beginning? She looked away from her bloodied feet then, up to the group of strangers and her supposed enemies. The ones who followed her nearly completely undoubtedly. The ones who risked their lives for her, so she could finish a personal goal. That's when she realized it. She dropped to her knees then, the group running to her on every side worriedly. She realized that even in the messed up world they lived in, where there were sides that you were born into and couldn't decide to be on, there were people who would help a complete and utter stranger if asked. She was a natural enemy to them all, and yet they followed her to the other side of the world and stood at her side to do what was right. Even after everything the Horde and Alliance went through, there were people on each side that wanted peace.

Fayne felt a hot tear slide down her cheek as she finally realized that there was some good left in the fucked up world she called home.


	12. Chapter 11

"Fayne... are you alright?" Asteriel had shoved everyone aside, and crouched down in front of Fayne. The blood elf look up from the ground, and looked the night elf straight in the eye.

"You guys... you guys have no idea how grateful I am for all of this. For all of the things you've helped me through, and how widely you've opened my eyes to this world. You showed me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can get through this," she said sheepishly, standing up. Everyone sighed in relief, presuming she had finally gone mad, or worse.

Asteriel stood up as well, and the smaller woman gave her a tight hug. Fayne realized what she had done, and pulled away awkwardly. Asteriel gave her a small smile, and handed her her sword and shield. "Thanks," she murmured, "for everything." The priestess nodded, and gently pushed her forward. Fayne let out a single, loud cough, in an attempt to say "let's pretend that never happened". Everyone understood. They formed a makeshift line, and all dashed out into the open. Fayne lifted a finger into the air to motion to the rest of the group as to the direction they were heading in. With a swift flick of her thumb, the group sidestepped towards the Hold's wall.

They skirted the perimeter, ducking under or behind tents. They were left unseen and Fayne's heart rate increased with every meter she came closer to the entrance. Her breathing became ragged, and she felt a hand on her should in a reassuring gesture. She glanced halfway back and caught Varian's eye with the corning of hers. He gave a small nod, and she returned his with a deep, shaky breath. _This is it_, she thought. One more step, and she would be out of the cramped cover of wood and tents. She snuck a glance around the corner. A dagger landed an inch away from her face in the wood. She jumped back, her back hitting Varian's chest.

"We've got company," she said, gazing back at the Alliance. They didn't have a chance to brace themselves before Fayne jumped out into the open, daggers in both hands, throwing them at hidden Horde members in the area.

An arrow struck her in the shoulder, but she ignored it. Everyone had their eyes on her, and she knew it. She dropped halfway to the ground, rolling away as soon as her arms touched the orange dirt. The action caused the arrowhead to dig deeper in between her collarbone and shoulder, but she ignored it. Gritting her teeth, she yanked it out in a swift motion before removing her old bow from under her cloak. With satisfaction, she killed the marksman with his own arrow.

The once quiet Orgrimmar was filled with the noise of clanking, clashing, whooshing, and full-out battle. There was grunting, screaming, yelling. Fayne hadn't moved, but stayed on her knees with her bow still in her hands. Before she could move, she was lifted off the ground by arms around her neck. She kicked and squirmed feebly, attempting to get out of the choke hold. Her eyes had begun to grow hazy, her head swam. But the troll was too slow. He was foolish to not take the kill as soon as he had it. Fayne still had her bow, and in one fluid motion, stuck one end into whatever crevice in his face she managed to hit. There was a yell of agony as she fell to the ground, her bow crashing down beside her as she was dropped. She scrambled to it desperately, an unarmoured foot crushing into her spine the moment her hand wrapped around the wood. She let out a small gasp, the wind whopped out of her at the impact.

"Traitor," he hissed at her in Zandali. Fayne couldn't help but smile.

"I'd rather be a traitor than a stupid troll," she said. With that, she spun around and grabbed the hilt of her sword, digging it into his thigh. As he bent down in pain, she used the opportunity to detach his head from his shoulders. "Dumb troll," she muttered. Fayne slowly got up, still trying to regain her breath. She definitely bruised a few ribs there. She used her sword as support as she leaned back down to grab her bow. The bastard managed to break it in half with his face. Suddenly curious, she kicked his head with her boot until it was facing upright. She had managed to get him right in the right eye. With a satisfied grunt, she kicked her broken bow away and ran to the nearest battling duo.

A dwarf stood in the centre of four totems, channelling bolts of electricity at a tauren doing the exact same thing fired back. Sighing, she crashed into the wall of muscle and fur, barely even moving him. Laughing, the shaman picked her up with barely any effort, until their faces were level.

"So you're the great blood elf traitor," he rumbled in Orcish. "I knew the Horde could never trust elves." Fayne was beginning to hate that word.

"Traitor? I prefer the word... hero," she said, throwing in a small, sarcastic pause. The tauren laughed again.

"So naive. You'll soon learn that this unforgiving world is also not very fair."

Fayne smiled sweetly. "Wise words coming from someone moments from death." Right on queue, an electric bolt struck his temple. In a daze, he let go of Fayne, who this time had time to catch herself. She turned and bowed at the dwarven shaman, who nodded before finding her newest target. Fayne also looked around, relieved to see that the Horde was beginning to thin out. Her eyes landed on Asteriel, who was running back and forth frantically. Fayne jogged up to her.

"Any casualties yet?" She asked. Asteriel glanced at her for a split second. "Two." Fayne's heart dropped. _Two, already? _The tauren's words echoed back into her mind. _You'll soon learn that this unforgiving world is also not very fair. _Shaking her head, she looked around once more. The last Horde warrior fell, and the group quickly gathered.

"Let's go," Varian growled, heading for the Hold's entrance. Fayne followed right behind him. He paused and moved aside, waiting for Fayne to move in front of him. She swallowed the large lump that formed in her throat. Right. She was the one who made this mess, so she'd be the first to face it. She walked briskly and confidently around the Hold, fighting off any guards she had to. "We must be getting close," she said, coming to a door. She glanced back at the weary-eyed group, and back to Varian who gave a nod of approval. Looking back at the door, she closed her eyes for a moment before open them and kicking the door open.

In an instant, she was surrounded by guards. Not just any guards either; Garrosh's warriors. Fayne wasn't even surprised. She let out a scoff, easily shrugging out of the orcs' hold. She stepped forward, looking straight at Garrosh. He lounged casually on his throne. Thrall's throne, she corrected herself bitterly.

"Get your disgusting ass out of that chair," she demanded. Garrosh was quiet a moment, before letting out a barking laugh. It wasn't long lived. A moment later, he swung his feet off of the armrest and onto the ground, hoisting up his huge frame. Even from across the throne room, he was huge. Slowly, ever so slowly, he collected himself and took agonizingly slow steps down the few steps. He stopped on the last one, looking Fayne up and down. The pig didn't even try to hide it, and instead let out a wolf whistle.

"You disgust me," Fayne spat, taking a step before getting stopped by a guard. He reeked of fel energy, which caused Fayne's stomach to flip. Garrosh laughed again.

"What can I say, I love my woman small, covered in questionable blood, and fuming hot." At his comment, she let out an angry shriek and thrashed around in the orc's massive arms. This only coaxed another laugh out of Garrosh.

"What are you going to do, kitten?" He purred, causing Fayne to inwardly retch again. "Bite me? I'd like to see you try from all the way across the room." That's when Fayne let out a laugh, out of pure madness.

"Tell this pansy guard of yours to release me, and I'll bite your head off," she hissed at him. Garrosh's mouth contorted into a smug smirk.

"That would just be too easy, wouldn't it? Besides, this is just too much fun."

Before Fayne could retort, Sylvanas spoke up. "Don't toy, Hellscream. You're stalling. Let her go and fight us before I put an arrow through your black heart and end you for her." It was Fayne's turn to smirk at the genuine look of shock on Garrosh's face.

"Did you really think Sylvanas would pass up an opportunity like this?" She purred back. The sight of Garrosh's jaw tick in anger pleased her greatly.

"Black heart? At least I still have one," he roared at Sylvanas. Varian stopped her before she could nock an arrow into Garrosh's throat.

"That's enough!" Fayne shouted. All eyes returned to her. "You wanted me, and now I'm here. Fight me," she hissed to Garrosh, whose eyes finally trailed away from Sylvanas' and back to hers.

"You're right," he laughed. "You sprung my trap so wonderfully." And with that, the doors that separated Fayne from the rest of her group thudded closed and locked with a click.

"You bastard!" Fayne screeched. Garrosh's eyes actually _twinkled_ in amusement. "Let me go and fight me right now!" He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Why would I fight you... when I could do so much more? Remember the good old times we had?" Fayne gritted her teeth so hard she was sure they would all break into pieces.

"I swear if you lay one hand on me-" Garrosh cut her off. "You'll do what? Scream?" She huffed in her anger, before thrashing so violently the guard actually let her go. She wasted no time standing around. Instead, she crossed the room in a single second, yelling profanities at him the entire way. She would have got to him if she hadn't been shot in the chest with an arrow. A black arrow.

She dropped to the floor, confused and writhing in agony. From somewhere beside Garrosh, she spotted her own flesh and blood drop down from a ledge, a bow in hand.

"Hey Fayne," her sister said cheerfully with that bell-like voice of hers. Fayne was so angry that it pushed away all her pain. She was on her feet in an instant, throwing her body across the room and wrapping her hands around her sister's throat. The two dropped to the floor in a heap, plate smashing deafeningly against mail. In a flash, her sister rolled until she was on top of Fayne, straddling her. She produced a wicked looking dagger from her thigh, trailing it up her sister's chest plate until it was at her neck.

"Oh Fayne," Corriana murmured in a sad tone. "Body always two steps ahead of the brain." Fayne punched her square in the face, a nice crack coming from the connection. Corriana scrunched up her nose, before slowly turning her head back to look her sister in the eye. The wench had the nerve to _smile_.

"Dear sister, you seem a bit... upset. Would you like to talk about it, perhaps over a cup of tea or two?" Fayne hissed dangerously.

Corriana trained her eyes down to her sister's chest. She yanked the arrow out of it, receiving a satisfying yelp from Fayne. Black liquid still leaked out of the arrowhead, as well as blood. She smiled devilishly, leaning down until her lips were by her sister's ear and away from anyone else. "Play along," she whispered sickeningly sweetly, before bringing the arrow to Fayne's temple.

* * *

When Fayne came to again, she sat up and immediately hurled. Whatever discussion that was going on near her had halted.

"Ah, great! You're finally up!" Garrosh beamed, clapping his hands together. Fayne looked at him through droopy lids. Everything rushed back to her. Suddenly adrenaline was pumping through her veins, sending her flying to her feet. She noticed Garrosh was stroking her sword lovingly. The gesture made her angry and sick at the same time. Garrosh must have noticed, since he gave another trademark smirk. To make it worse, her baby sister was sprawled across his throne in a suggestive manner beside him, their bodies touching. She nearly threw up again.

Without giving a single hint, she managed to scope the room with her hearing alone, like a radar. They were the only three in the room... which meant the door-

Fayne nearly had her hand against the doorknob before Garrosh speared her into it. She screamed out in pain, her face digging into the wood. She curled her fist into a ball and banged on the door, her anger increasing quickly. Garrosh laughed darkly, looping his arms around her waist and yanking her back. Instead, she clutched onto the handle for dear life. Garrosh let out a loud, angry sigh, before unhooking one arm to punch her in the jaw. She grunted in pain before connecting her heel with his groin harshly. "Let go of the door," he hissed.

"No!" Fayne yelled back. The door was the one thing separating her from her group. If she could open the door, her chances of surviving this day would skyrocket. Garrosh yanked her harder as she held on more. His grip was like a vise, and she was finding it hard to breath.

"Varian," she muttered, her face against the door once more.

"What?" She heard his muffled voice through the wood. "I need you to-" she grunted as Garrosh dug his hands into her waist painfully, "I need you to break the door down." She heard him let out a loud, exasperated breath.

"You don't think we've been trying this entire time?" She screamed out in anger, before Garrosh yanked her. Her hands let go of the handle, and she soon found her face an inch from the ground as Garrosh held her upside down.

"Just fucking do it!" She screamed.

She thrashed and dug her fingers into the floor, which did absolutely nothing to help her. She heard Garrosh laugh darkly above her. "What are you doing!?" She screamed as he tried to remove her boots. She watched him angrily from her upside down position. Using whatever upper body strength she had, she used to propel herself upwards. She grabbed his arms to steady herself, and glared into his eyes angrily.

He smirked again, something Fayne quickly began to hate with a burning passion.

"We're going to send you into another fel rage. You'll like that, won't you Fayne?" He purred at her. Freeing one hand from his arm, she slapped him as hard as she could. She smiled darkly as he spat out a tooth. He moved his jaw, prospecting the damage. He smiled back at her, blood spilling out of his lips. He stood still, with Fayne hanging on in the awkward position, until they both jumped at what must have been the thunder from the heavens.

Fayne let out a shriek just as Garrosh let go of her. She fell to the floor for what must have been the millionth time that day, as debris and splinters rained down on her. She kicked Garrosh in the face before he could scramble to his feet.

"Reinforcements have arrived!" Sylvanas yelled gleefully, arms wide up in the air as she sat perched on the biggest siege engine Fayne had ever seen. Fayne's eyes were wide and her mouth was agape, unable to fathom what had just happened. Was that really Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, sitting on a god-forsaken _siege engine_, staring at her happily through a giant, smouldering _hole_?


	13. Chapter 12

Before Fayne could pass another thought through her confused brain, large hands were against her throat. Garrosh effortlessly dragged her body to his, holding her flush against his chest. She wanted to throw up from the contact.

"If you try to incinerate me, your precious _hero_ will be coming with me," he yelled, happily. Fayne struggled then. She'd rather sell her soul to the devil than to stay in the position Garrosh was holding her for a moment longer. But the more she struggled, the tighter his hold got. Black specks invaded her sight, and Garrosh forced her to stare at her beloved group.

"What now, Faynestra? No heroic move?" He laughed into her ear, his retched breath filling her nostrils. She scrunched up her nose and shut her eyes tightly.

"If it means that I'll die with you, so be it," she spat. "I don't care if I die, as long as I know you're coming down with me. It's just you and me Garrosh. Sylvanas, do it. Fire!" Sylvanas looked at her, shocked. She rarely got to witness a sacrifice. It was something she would have to do. Before she could give the order, Varian cut her off.

"Sylvanas, don't!" He yelled, infuriated. "I have had enough of these games! The only one to die tonight will be Garrosh!" Fayne opened her eyes, locking them with Varian's. She felt his rage kindle her own. Seeing him like that, so angry, so _worried_, gave her strength. It have her hope. Her eye twitched as she threw her hands around Garrosh's neck, pulling his head down to hers.

"I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, Garrosh Hellscream." She stood up halfway, arching her back to form a bridge-like stance. Nearly majestically, she kicked her legs upwards, landing behind Garrosh. She was still in his hold, but now she had the upper hand with it. She gave a smug smile that only she knew she made. In an instant, her feet were off the ground as he stood up, taking her with him. She nearly yelped in surprise. Instead, he used his upper body strength to lift her into the air, and sent her flying through the air onto a table in a corner. "Now!" Sylvanas yelled, but it was too late.

Garrosh leapt after Fayne the moment her body crashed through the table. She choked out a cough, splinters showering her. Using whatever strength she had left, she sat up before Garrosh landed on her. In the same millisecond, the forsaken canon ripped a hole through the other end of the Hold, demolishing Garrosh's throne. _Thrall's_, Fayne corrected herself weakly. The entire building teetered and shook.

"The roof is going to cave in!" A voice yelled in Common somewhere to her right. Garrosh had since gotten off of her, instead crouched over her, repeatedly sending punches into her face. The only thing she could think of was how close she was to the entrance. She was only meters away from the still burning wood.

Garrosh laughed darkly at her pitiful attempt to cover her face and to move away from him. He happened to notice the huge chunks of wood and debris falling from the roof though. "Corriana!" He yelled. "Bring me the vials." Fayne's blood stopped. Vials? Vials of what? Then it hit her.

"NO!" She screamed, surprising Garrosh and even herself with the rage in her cracking voice. "Corriana, don't do it." She yelled, quieter this time. She could just see her sister standing meters behind Garrosh, his frame nearly covering her from sight. She stood, thinking of what to do. When she dashed away, fear and dread sunk into the pit of her stomach. Her world seemed to rain down on her. Her own sister had betrayed her. "Corriana," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

"Yes, that's right Fayne. Even your _sister_ is against you! How does that feel?" Garrosh said happily in front of her. Fayne's head was filled with nothing but anger. Her blood boiled, and she could smell it. She could taste it.

"How does that make me feel?" She repeated, keeping her eyes closed. "It makes me _angry._" With new found vigour, she was on her feet, bounding after her sister. She would kill her if she caught her. With adrenaline coursing through her system, she fished out her lingering scent and followed it down the halls. Most rooms were already obliterated from Sylvanas' canon, but to her dismay, the one her sister was in, wasn't. She could smell _it_.

"Corriana," she rasped. Her sister didn't even turn around.

"Fayne, don't. You have to trust me," her sister said through gritted teeth as she mixed various vials together.

"How could you?" Fayne choked out, tears streaming down her face. She strode to her sister, torn on whether to trust her or to watch the light of life fade from her eyes. That's when she spun around. The two stood like that, watching each other, as Garrosh stormed through the door.

"Throw me the vial!"

"Don't!-" It was too late. Corriana had delicately thrown the vial above Fayne's head. She heard him catch it, open it, and down it. Fayne squeezed her eyes shut, defeated. There was no way they could stop him now. Not in a fel rage. She heard his breath quicken, she _heard_ his heart beat against his ribs. She spun around, ducking under Garrosh's waiting arms, and ran through the halls as quick as she could. She weaved her way back to the main room, knocking over whatever she could to try to slow the very, very dangerous man inches away from her.

"Varian!" Fayne screeched, running to him. He turned around, eyes meeting hers before quickly looking behind her.

"Mother of-" Garrosh was on top of Fayne in a second, hands wrapped around her throat. Fayne coughed, blood spurting all over Garrosh's face. She looked up at him, his eyes... green. So green that Corriana must have given him the largest dose possible. She saw feet beside Garrosh, watched as a blade ripped through his side. He didn't even _flinch_. Fel magic had a blood-clotting aspect to it, which nearly regenerated wounds instantly. Something clicked in Fayne's mind in that instant. The will to live was screaming through her body. She did what she wished she never had to do.

She yanked Garrosh's face down to hers and kissed him.

Shock ricocheted off the walls. She could feel it. She felt something else though, something stronger. Fel energy. It coursed through her veins as Garrosh ripped his mouth away from hers, standing up and staggering back. Varian stood still, unsure if he was seeing things or not. Fayne jumped up then, stalking after Garrosh as he backed away. "You bitch," he growled, voice deeper from the fel. She smiled a maddened smile.

"You have to hand it to me, you weren't expecting that one." In his own maddened state, he smiled back at her.

Fayne grabbed a dagger from her thigh and launched it at his face, missing by a small margin. "Now now, no need to get... catty." Garrosh purred. It was Fayne's turn to growl. She knew what he was doing. He was stalling. Fortunately for her, time was exactly what she needed. She hadn't been able to leech enough fel from him, but the way her body reacted specifically to it made it as lethal as his own level was at the moment. In a matter of minutes, she would be a killing machine. The only question was, how long would it last? She continued to stalk him around the room, eyes alert and all senses heightened. If he even twitched a muscle, she would know.

She had doubt. It mingled with her every thought. With a dose this large, she could very easily die coming down from the high. If not, she'd be in critical condition. _Very_ critical. Her eyes flicked down to Garrosh's side, which didn't seem to be healing like it should. _Corriana. _What had she been mixing? Fayne nearly kicked herself. Whatever was effecting Garrosh, would be effecting her as well. She had to make her move, and fast. Finally, she felt her fel high at it's peak. She lunged.

Garrosh met her in the middle. It was a battle of toughness now. Despite the large gap in their height difference, Fayne was just as strong as he was in the moment. They grappled for a few moments, before Fayne lifted her leg up to kick him. He caught it instantly, and used it to flip her onto the ground face first. She growled as he fell onto her back, gripping her hair tightly. He twisted it around his fist, and used it to bring her face to his.

"If you think I'll go down so easily, think again," he spat onto the side of her face, before standing up and bringing her along with him by her hair. Fayne caught Varian's eye. As much as he wanted to help, he was smart to not interfere. Right now, the only things in the room suitable to fight Garrosh would be Fayne, and the Forsaken canon.

He spun her around and punched her in the nose. She felt absolutely nothing, and smirked at him. Unlike him, she knew the only few spots on the body of a fel-induced humanoid that could trigger pain when hit. Swiftly, she hit each one after the other. First, the crook right between the neck and the skull. Then, the instep of the foot followed by the point where the collarbone and sternum nearly met. Finally, she kicked him harshly to the ground, before kicking the side of the knee. He looked up at Fayne, fuming.

She smiled back down to Garrosh sweetly. Fluidly, she rolled to her sword, picking it up. As soon as she faced him again, he was up on his feet, _Gorehowl _in hand. Normally, the blood would have drained from her face in sight of the famous weapon. Instead, she laughed and raised her own weapon at him, shuffling her feet into position and beckoning him to her with a flick of her wrist. Garrosh didn't have to be told twice; he nearly flew through the air, as the wind whistled through the holes in the deadly axe, producing a low, howling noise.

Metal clashed against metal as Gorehowl met Souldrinker. With both hands occupied, Fayne brought a foot up to Garrosh's jaw. His head snapped right back to the blood elf instantly, only encouraging his anger. They circled around each other, eyes locked together in a death glare. Time seemed to falter and stop altogether as they continued their march together, plate scraping against the ground at each step. Almost as one, weapons darted out and met halfway between the two fel crazed enemies. Fayne hoped her next move would work. If it didn't she would be dead.

As swiftly as she possibly could, she crashed her shield against Gorehowl, removing her own weapon in the process and stabbing it into Garrosh's previous wound. To add even more damage, she twisted the sword a little, pleased to hear a growl escape Garrosh's lips. She darted around, spinning her body as she stepped back at the same time. Instead, she felt a blade dully slice through her back. She grimaced, knowing any minute she'd feel that one.

Garrosh removed his axe from her back, blood splattering all around the room as he kicked her into the dirt once more. He put his full weight onto her, enjoying the sight of blood rushing out of her new wound as he did so. Underneath him, Fayne was fuming. Her blood ran so hot, she thought her flesh would melt right off.

"I am sick of getting pushed around!" She screamed, twisting her body and pulling him down on top of herself. His eyes held shock as she rolled him around onto his back, her sword raised high above her head, above his chest. He laughed then, of all things.

"Foolish girl, that will do nothing." She just managed to hear the sliding of metal against metal through the blood rushing in her ears. He smiled at her, grabbing her sword from her hands. He ripped it out of his chest, Fayne unable to do anything except stare as he stabbed it through her own chest. She sat on top of him dead still, looking down at the sword protruding from her heart.

The last thing she saw was him throw her precious sword to the ground as he pushed her limp body off of himself.

* * *

Darkness. It spread miles left and right, up and down. A tiny, fragile ray of light was the only thing to disturb the peaceful slumber of unconscious. _Is this... death? _Unable to grasp a sense of time, minutes or years could have passed before a very faint noise could be heard in the darkness. _Or is it coming from the realm of the living? _The sound eventually grew louder, to a whisper.

"Breathe."

_By the Light, I'm trying! Believe me... _A century could have passed before something crept into the darkness and the whispers. Feeling. It was not a pleasant feeling. _If only I could scream. I'm dying. _The weak and wavering thuds of a rejecting heart was soon decipherable in the jumble of new sounds and sheer pain.

"Breathe."

It was unknown whether that single word was a command or a plea. It soon began growing clearer with every new response to the outside world. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't follow the simple order. Her heart attempted in vain to keep her alive; to keep blood flowing to her brain. That miniscule fact was what enabled her to be in this state of nothing. _I'm alive... barely. _

"Press down on the wound."

She waited for the one word that kept her alive, that kept her almost completely unresponsive body going. Was her hope gone? _I'm still alive! _Surely the voice would not give up on her so easily? Perhaps this was her fate. Karma had finally consumed her, and this was all a big slap in the face to show her how much of a bitch life can be if it is disrespected.

"Hold her down."

A blood-boiling scream. Large hands kept her from jumping up and tearing her skin off piece by piece. The pain was unbearable. She really was going to die, like this. _I'm sorry!_ She pleaded weakly. _Let me live. _Her back lifted off of the cold floor, her failing chest raised to the sky. She clawed feebly at the arms that held her down, cursing herself for being so weak.

"Let... me go!" She cried, attempting again to push the hands off of the site that was causing her so much pain.

"She's in shock. Don't listen to her," the voice that helped pull her through the darkness said. If she had enough air in her lungs to breathe properly, she would have gasped.

"Don't listen to me? At least you know I'm alive!" She cried again, tears physically unable to push through her firmly shut eyelids. "You saved me..." Another wave of pain.

"Let. Me. GO!" She weakly thrashed around, attempting to grasp her small hands around huge wrists. She kicked and screamed, flailed and flopped, cried and panted. Another wave of pain, this one the most painful of the previous ones. She dug her nails deeply into flesh, a choked sob caught in her throat. Her instincts were kicking in. _Run! Fight! Do anything! _With another deafening scream, she thrashed around with new vigour, plate boots thumping loudly onto stone as she kicked and tried twisting out of the deathgrip on her chest.

"Fayne, stop."

That voice. Her body went rigid, half-twisted onto her left side as her eyes shot open.

Brightness. Something that was not welcomed after being in that lulling darkness. But something else was beyond that brightness; enveloped in a halo of light.

"Varian," she choked out, removing her nails from his wrists. She could have cried, if she had the energy to. Her increasingly failing heart tried to furiously beat at the sight of him. The action caused so much pain. She couldn't even try to suppress her whimper.

"Let me die," she whispered. Death seemed more comforting than whatever misery this was. Her sense of smell had come back, and the metallic _taste_ of blood that stuck to the roof of her mouth and the back of her throat almost choked her. "Just let me die, I can't take this." One look at her mangled chest beneath Varian's bloodied hands made her lose all hope. There was no way she would survive.

"No, you won't," he growled, pushing harder onto her wound. She winced. "I won't let you."

"And neither will I," the angelic voice responded. Fayne's eyes widened, snapping to her right. "You know, it snowed in Darkshore. You scared the shit out of me, Fayne."

Asteriel. She was completely wrecked, eyes shadowed with tiredness and determination. She hadn't even realized it, but her hands were gently placed on her collarbone, a small warmth under it. Pieces clicked together, and Fayne realized she was healing her. But if she was healing her...

"What is c-causing that _pain_?" Fayne yelped as yet another wave of white-hot pain shook her. Asteriel's eyebrow furrowed.

"I'm removing whatever fel energy I can from you."

The world crashed down. The memories flashed back.

"Where is he?" She hissed, completely pushing herself up into a sitting position along with Varian. Her head felt as heavy as a ton of bricks but filled with cotton at the same time. Whatever small amount of blood she had left in her frail body boiled. _Garrosh. _

"I swear on my mother's dead body I will rip his face from his skull and shove it up his ass," she snarled, shoving Varian off of herself as she gazed around the trashed thrown room. She noted at some point the roof must have completely collapsed; wooden rafters and iron beams were scattered all around the room. She barely felt Asteriel's hands wrap around her neck. Anger replaced her adrenaline and soon she found herself on two feet, rattling like a leaf in a storm.

"Fayne, sit down before you hurt yourself," Varian's pleading voice sounded behind her.

"No," she breathed back, taking an unsteady step forward. Large hands caught her before her head smashed into the tiled floor.

"Look at yourself," he growled into her ear. "You are in no condition to be sitting, let alone standing." Fayne exhaled unsteadily. Her bravado plummeted until she found herself back in reality. The gaping hole in her chest, the emptiness in her head, the searing pain in her leg.

"Is it over?" She whispered, closing her suddenly very tired eyes. She felt his growl vibrate through her.

"Yes."

Darkness. Once again, suffocating darkness overwhelmed her. _Great, this shit again, _Fayne thought bitterly. This time, she was connected to the living world. She felt the redhot throbbing pain pulse around her wounds, the whispers around her, the breath on her face-

_That's definitely new._ There was something else... was something, or someone, touching her face? _Yes. _A finger traced the prominent scar her sister's ghoul had given her. It travelled down over her nose and over to her lips. In a split second, her hand was on a wrist and her eyes opened.

She stared up at her, confused. She finally became aware of her body lingering over hers, her chest against her own. Fayne's eyes widened in surprise. She tried scrambling off of Fayne, but in another swift movement, she was sitting and she was on her knees leaning over her. "Don't," she whispered, tugging on her wrists.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake-" She slapped a hand over her sister's mouth. The room they were in was too quiet for her liking. Fayne looked at Corriana's shock ladened face, before finally removing her hand from her face. Fayne was confused, so confused. "What happened back there? Give me one good reason to not kill you right now," she demanded. Corriana looked at her guiltily.

"I thought you would understand. I told you to play along, to trust what I was doing. Do you really think I'd take his side over yours? You're my flesh and blood, Fayne! I'm not that heartless."

Fayne looked back at her sister's oddly freckled face. She was so unique, so... unknown to her. Even though they were sisters, she didn't think she even knew Corriana any more. "Yes," Fayne said blatantly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I was positive you were plotting against me. Do you know how much your betrayal hurt me?" Corriana tried to interrupt Fayne.

"I want to know what you put into that vial."

Corriana sighed. "You won't believe me if I tell you."

Fayne snapped. "Of course I can't! You can't even blame me for it, either," Fayne yelled, attempting to stand up. Her head whirled and that itching, annoying series of blackness attempted to overtake her again.

"Fayne, you have to calm down. You should have trusted me. You _know_ you can always trust me!"

Fayne let out a shrill, frustrated scream. "No, I don't! Not after the fact I nearly _died_ because of you! If only you didn't give him that _fucking_ fel magic!" Tears were streaming down her face now, nearly burning against her cold, blood-drained face. Corriana was crying too, trying in vain to get her sister to understand.

"Fay, you have to listen to me," she pleaded in Thalassian. "Of course I had to play along with Garrosh. I knew of your plans before you even left the city. I had an eye on you, the entire time. I saw how you looked at those orcs, how you thought of out mother. Truthfully, I think I knew before _you_ even did. It was then I had to think fast and make my own plans. I studied law and politics as quickly as I could. I weaseled my way into Garrosh's ranks. I looked too innocent to him to be able to do anything I was really doing.

"And so, I gained his trust. As soon as he found out about you, he connected the dots. He questioned me, tortured me for information. Luckily for you, I'm a good actress and I have a high pain tolerance. Your old friend in Silvermoon was more than willing to help. I managed to convince Garrosh she was dead so he wouldn't go looking for her himself... in his way. She forwarded your letter to me, and any other information she may had had. I knew I was running out of time, and thought fast. Garrosh trusted me so much he showed me his secret. He showed me what was hidden meters under this city. What he was doing down there, and what he was developing in preparation of your coming."

Fayne cut in. "The fel-" Corriana cut her off as well.

"Yes, the fel energy. I volunteered to test it out. He was more than happy to. I figured since we're nearly exactly the same genetically, however way it would effect me would do the same to you. It was... horrible. I was in that state for days. To be honest, I finally snapped out of it a few hours before you arrived. Anyways, that's besides the point. All I did was created a few of my own potions, and tested them. I was still very high on the fel magic, and finally found a solution.

"I didn't know exactly what Garrosh was going to do with it. I thought he was going to drug you with it, which is why I created it especially for you to try to dissolve it before it hit your brain. When he drank it, my heart nearly failed. That's when it dawned on me he knew I was going behind his back. I stayed there, trying desperately to make you a fel potion, I swear. I just didn't have enough of it, and when someone came in and explained you already had some from Garrosh..."

Tears streamed down Corriana's face, and Fayne took her sister into her arms. For the first time in decades, she hugged her baby sister. "It's okay. Keep going," she reassured her as she combed her fingers through her hair.

"I didn't think Sylvanas would come. I didn't want to tell her anything, in fear of what would happen if she turned on you." It was then Fayne realized they weren't alone. She could _feel _the Banshee Queen's smirk burning into her back.

"Yes, trust really is a weird thing, isn't it?" The Lady's question was rhetorical. Fayne urged her sister to finish with a small pat on the head.

"Anyways... Varian was smart to not do anything. But when you collapsed, he went ballistic. I swear I saw him fly with my own eyes. Everyone joined in then. Then the roof collapsed. An iron beam fell on your leg, which would explain the pain in your thigh. Some kid healed you enough to mend it fully. All hell broke loose and everyone was trying to get out of the debris. Varian fished Garrosh out of the rubble and had him by the neck. He was going to kill him himself. Of course, I couldn't let that happen. I really thought he had killed you. So," she paused. "I got him straight in the chest with an arrow."

Fayne laughed, closing her eyes. "Funny, I was convinced Sylvanas got the last laugh." Corriana sighed against Fayne's chest.

"That, I actually did," the eerie voice of the Queen said smoothly. "It's a shame though. I really was hoping I'd get to see the life drain out of his eyes. Too bad Wrynn was in my way and ruined my dreams. He didn't move until he was sure there was no pulse. Then he was by you in an instant." At that last bit of information, Fayne's eyes snapped wide open. She tore herself from her sister to face Sylvanas. The Queen sat there regally, a smirk on her face.

"It seems the king may be warming up to you. How _charming_."

* * *

**It's about damn time I committed to this. No, we're not quite done yet... This is the last official chapter though. The final piece will be the epilogue. I felt so bad for leaving this hanging for so long. This wasn't how I was originally going to end this, but well, things change after months. I hope you guys enjoyed this. I tried throwing some comic relief in here and there, like Sylvanas on the siege engine... what a crazy bitch. I really did enjoy this long, strange trip though. **


End file.
